In the following account of this LCA it should be noted that for consistency, the biodiversity section follows the standard order for all LCAs even though some of the communities discussed later may have more importance for biodiversity than those discussed earlier.
Key CharacteristicsOutside of the major forests, there is little broadleaved semi-natural woodland in this LCA. Bohill Forest NNR has a tiny area of deciduous woodland, comprising holly, oak, birch, rowan and hazel that have regenerated since the site was clear felled in the past. This small NNR was established to protect the Holly Blue butterfly, once considered rare in County Down but now known to be more widespread. Management provides the sunny clearings that the butterfly favours. Approximately 40 ha of the forest has been selected for restoration as an ancient woodland site and is classified as an Upland Oakwood in terms of the NI Priority Habitats.
Other areas of semi-natural broadleaved woodland are confined to a few patches of willow and alder carr on fen (wet woodland) and of hazel coppice on rocky areas or stream sides.
At Castlewellan Forest there is a great diversity of woodland habitats; the modern plantations are an intricate mix of small plantings of species (stands of conifers and of mixed hardwoods) rather than large sweeps and there are remnants of plantations pre-dating state acquisition in 1967. In addition, there are long-established woods and parkland trees (Lowland woodland pasture and Parkland) - at the western end of the lake there are stands of oak, beech and ash; open grown oak at the north end of the lake; and some of the parkland trees date from 1740-60. Castlewellan is also the site of the National Arboretum.
Tollymore Forest also has areas of broadleaves and parkland. Here too, the modern planting is a complex of small plantings of conifers (larch, Douglas fir, lodgepole pine and Sitka spruce) and of mixed hardwoods (beech, ash, sycamore and oak), but there are also remnants of the former estate planting, especially around the present car parks and along the river (oaks, beech, sycamore, sweet chestnut). There is also an arboretum and trial plots. Tollymore thus has a great diversity of tree species and woodland habitats.
Castlewellan and Tollymore Forests are extensive and include a range of habitats so they also have a number of records for Priority Species; these include red squirrel, otter, Irish Hare, song thrush, barn owl, wall brown butterfly and the marsh fritillary butterfly.
On the eastern edge of the LCA at Castlewellan and to the north of the town, there are a number of smaller estates and parklands with a diversity of tree species including broadleaves (oak, ash, elm, lime, beech, sycamore and horse chestnut) and conifers (including Scots pine, Monterey cypress, Wellingtonia and firs). Whereas some of these parklands are well maintained and have regeneration of trees, others have a general air of neglect, are not regenerating and indeed there has been felling.
Coniferous forest accounts for two-thirds of the woodland in the LCA. Castewellan and Tollymore Forests are very diverse in conifer species, as is the state forest at Bohill, although Corsican pine is a clear dominant in the Tievenadarragh part of Bohill Forest. The LCA also includes the lowest part of Donard Forest; there are some mature broadleaves, including oaks, from the former estate/parkland and modern mixed broadleaved planting, but the majority of the forest here is Douglas fir, Corsican pine, Scots pine and larch. Elsewhere in the LCA, private coniferous plantations are small, around half a hectare, relatively young and of larch, Sitka spruce and Scots pine; they are often planted adjacent to farmsteads.
Grassland and ArableGrasslands account for 81% of the land cover, two-thirds of which is in improved pasture. Land classed as arable occupies only 3% of the LCA and is widely scattered. In some damper areas, for example in reclaimed wetlands and in upland margins, the pastures are reverting and there is a high rush cover, but generally, improved pastures are intensively managed and have low biodiversity. Hedgerows can provide some biodiversity to improved pastures and arable land; however, in this LCA field boundaries formed by hedges are poorly maintained, often extremely gappy and with few trees. In many parts of the LCA, for example south of Castlewellan, the field boundaries are stone walls.
Rough grazing is found in three main parts of the LCA. Along the southern border altitude increases at the foot of the northern slopes of the Mournes. Here soils become more humic and some slopes are rocky; acid grasslands intermix with heather partly in response to physical conditions but also related to the past grazing intensity - more heavily grazed areas have less heather. Through the centre of the LCA from Carrivmoragh Mountain in the north to Tullynasoo Mountain in the south, there is another belt of acid grasslands intermixed with patches of gorse on rocky uplands with thin humic soils. Thirdly, in the northeast, rough grassland is particularly associated with damp valley floors between drumlins, although species rich dry grassland occurs alongside Bohill NNR. Throughout the LCA, individual fields of rough grazing occur as a result of low levels of management, and provide rare examples of lowland meadows, of both dry and damp types; an example is at Knocksticken to the north of Tullyree Hill.
Heath and BogsThere are no remaining peat bogs in the LCA, all have been cut-over and have developed into fen/fen-carr or have been drained and converted into grazing, or have been used as land-fill sites. Keenans Bog and Bighouse Bog are two small examples of cut-over bog which have developed into scrub of birch, alder and willow.
Wetlands and LakesSmall fens are scattered through the LCA and whereas they have an importance to the habitat diversity of the LCA, there are few sites with notable species. Ballydrumman Fen is probably the best site with its various habitats from dry grassland to species rich fen. There are notable species of sedges and bog mosses.
There are several man-made lakes and reservoirs in the LCA, but of low biodiversity interest. Altnadua Lake (Mesotrophic lakes) is an exception; it is an unspoilt example of a mid-altitude lake with alternate leaved water milfoil, reddish pondweed and white water lilly - all species that are sensitive to nutrient enrichment. Water lobelia, a rare species usually confined to upland lakes is also recorded here. Swamps, fens and marshes surrounding the lake are generally narrow, but also unspoilt; species include many-stalked spike rush another more typically upland species, and a stand of great fen-sedge which is unusual in this part of Northern Ireland. There has been some land-fill of carr woodland nearby. Castlewellan Lake supports intensive angling and other amenity activities, but retains its unspoilt upland character. Large amounts if quilwort, a species threatened in Northern Ireland by nutrient enrichment, are found in deeper water. The rare upland species water lobelia has also recently been recorded.
Rivers and streams in the area flow through an LCA dominated by improved pasture - there are few records of Priority Species
Key IssuesGeneral actions for UK and NI Priority Habitats and Priority Species are detailed in the Habitat Action Plans and Species Action Plans.
WOODLANDSIssue: woodland is predominantly coniferous cover of low biodiversity value, however, there are valuable areas of NI Priority Habitat wet woodland, upland oakwood and lowland woodland pasture and parkland with associated NI Priority Species
Actions:
Issue: low biodiversity value of improved grasslands and arable, however areas of rough grazing provide rare examples of the NI Priority Habitat lowland meadows
Actions:
Issue: potential loss of the NI Priority Habitats fens and mesotrophic lakes due to a range of threats
Actions: