Armagh Drumlins Biodiversity Profile

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 Characteristics

• Woodlands occupy c.2% of the LCA (compared with c 5.6% for Northern Ireland), almost all is broadleaved or mixed and most is associated with present or former estates
• almost all estate woodlands are 'long-established', i.e. present by 1830s and several contain semi-natural elements
• grassland covers more than four-fifths of the LCA and c.90% of that is in improved pastures of generally low biodiversity
• patches of wet grassland occur in inter-drumlin hollows and alongside small streams; these can be important for wetland birds especially in association with adjacent fen
• no extensive heathland, blanket bog or lowland raised bog
• numerous small fens, part of the belt across Down and Armagh; the remaining fens of these counties, as well as those in Fermanagh, are a significant proportion of the UK total; fens in this LCA should be seen as not only of local importance for biodiversity, but also as of national importance
• many lakes affected by nutrient enrichment, but examples of rare types including marl lakes

Woodlands

Woodlands occupy c.2% of the LCA, almost all is broadleaved or mixed and most is associated with present or former estates. These are in three groups; in the west one extends from Benburb in the north to Mount Irwin in the south, taking in Knappagh House, Elm Park, Darton and Fellows Hall. A second band extends from Castle Dillon southward and includes Hockley Lodge, Drumsill House, the Palace at Armagh and several small demesnes between Milford and Tassagh. The third includes Cornacrew, Gosford Park, Tandragee Castle and Clare Glen in the east. Most of these demesne woodlands (lowland woodland pasture and parkland) were present at the time of the first 6" OS mapping in the 1830s and are at least 'long-established' woodlands and parts may be 'ancient'. There has been sufficient time for species to colonise that might not be found in more recent woodlands, adding to the biodiversity of the woodlands and the LCA. Unfortunately, heavy grazing has reduced the species diversity of some of these woodlands; for example, at Knappagh parts of the wood are heavily grazed and the herb layer is either of grasses or bared ground. Similarly, at Elm Park the estate woodland with mature ash, beech, birch and occasional conifers, and an understorey of cherry laurel, hawthorn, and young ash and beech, passes into grazed areas of birch scrub with some holly, but the area is very open with a grassy ground flora. In addition to the planted woods, this inclusion into the estates of woods with a semi-natural origin is quite common, for example along stream courses or on former bog or fen. In Drumconwell Td., old estate woodland has mature conifers mixed with beech, horse chestnut, ash, and sycamore with an understorey mainly of hazel, holly and cherry laurel. However, in the southeast of the estate where beech occurs on the ridge, willow, blackthorn and alder dominate alongside the river.

Tassagh Wood has the appearance of semi-natural woodland, but the presence of beech as well as occasional larch and Scots pine in the canopy, which also includes sycamore, oak and ash, indicates that it has either a planted history or has been 'landscaped'. The herb layer is often dominated by wood rush. However, the woodland is quite diverse with some areas where oak, ash and sycamore predominate and there is a more varied herb layer with bluebell, lesser celandine and wood anemone.

Clare Glen is somewhat similar in that there are sections that have clearly been planted or 'landscaped' and have rhododendron and cherry laurel in the understorey. Elsewhere there are oak-hazel, ash-hazel and mixed broadleaved sections that have a rich herb layer and a diversity of mosses. The valley floor also has alder woodland (wet woodland) with a herb layer that includes meadowsweet, creeping buttercup, king-cup and some reed canary grass.

Whereas beech is often the dominant species in the demesne woodlands and frequently has saplings, along with young growth of ash and sycamore, oak is also dominant in some locations together with abundant Scots pine, as at Hockley Lodge. Here another problem of estate woods is exemplified; many of the trees are over-mature and beginning to die and there is little sign of regeneration.

Gosford Park is the exception amongst the demesnes because much of the park and woodland has been replanted since it came into the Forest Service. It is now a complex of many small compartments in which Norway spruce and larches dominate although the trees are inter-planted with oak, sycamore and beech; there are also small compartments that are either solely conifers or broadleaves. It has interest for biodiversity in its arboretum and in the rare breeds of farm animals.

Small areas of carr woodland (wet woodland), with alder and willows, are found around several small lakes and in fens - see below.

Grassland and Arable

Grassland covers more than four-fifths of the LCA and c.90% of that is in improved pastures. These have generally low biodiversity as a result of relatively intensive management. Some of the pastures are sown grasslands dominated by ryegrass and few other species - low biodiversity is in-built. Other grasslands have been converted to improved pastures through management. High levels of grazing or repeated cutting for silage, high inputs of fertilizers and slurry, and selective herbicides serve to reduce diversity of both flora and fauna. Arable land (includes grass re-seeding), is scattered throughout the LCA, particularly down the western border and to the east of Armagh; it accounts for around 6% of the land cover.

Biodiversity in areas of improved pastures and arable is often concentrated in hedgerows. Indeed, they may be the most significant wildlife habitat over much of lowland Northern Ireland, especially where there are few semi-natural habitats. Hedgerows are a refuge for many woodland and farmland plants and animals. However, in this LCA, predominantly hawthorn hedgerows are generally overgrown. Mature ash trees are common in the hedgerows.

Rough and less-improved grassland is scattered through the LCA, generally as damp grasslands either on flat land alongside small streams or in inter-drumlin hollows. Frequently these are species-poor and dominated by rushes, but they also grade into fens and can then be more diverse in species. Unimproved dry grassland is rare, hence the designation of Annacramph Meadows ASSI; this has several notable plant species including cowslip. Milford Railway Cutting, a UWT site, has been abandoned since 1957 and the west bank is now unimproved grassland with flowering plants. The east bank is scrub woodland. The many wildflowers in this reserve attract butterflies from the surroundings, including orange tip, dark green fritillary, and painted lady. Orchids on the east slope include common twayblade, marsh helleborine, common spotted, fragrant and bee. Other plants include quaking grass, which may indicate a relatively old meadow. The grassland at Navan Fort is also gradually being returned to a semi-improved status with areas of dry species-rich grassland, that is slightly calcareous, on the steeper slopes.

The diversity of habitats, even within the farmland dominated landscape, which includes damp grasslands, hedges, woods, arable and fens, gives rise to diversity not only of plant species but also of mammals, insects and birds. Thus several of the bird Priority Species are recorded for the LCA - bullfinch, song thrush, linnet, yellowhammer, reed bunting and curlew; indeed curlew, snipe and lapwing are specifically recorded from damp grasslands.

Heaths and Bogs

Except for small patches of gorse (whin) that are found on short steep slopes or abandoned fields, and small pockets of heather on islands of peat in cut-over bogs, there are no heaths in the LCA. Blanket bog is restricted to a small area in the extreme southwest near Crossbane Lough; this has been cut-over in the past. Likewise, there is no intact lowland raised bog; small bogs that occurred between some of the drumlins have been cut-over/cut-out and either converted into fen or drained for pasture.

Wetlands and Lakes

Counties Armagh and Down have numerous small fens largely in hollows between the drumlins that are so characteristic of much of these counties. Just as many of these fens are the product of human activity, by removing acid peat for fuel, they have been declining as a result of human activity - draining for pastures, land-fill and general rubbish dumping, and nutrient enrichment (which can change species composition) from surrounding land. Some have also been lost as a product of colonisation by trees to give fen-carr and carr woodland. Despite human intervention and natural colonisation, the remaining fens of Down and Armagh, as well as those in Fermanagh, are a significant proportion of the UK total; fens in this LCA should therefore be seen as not only of local importance for biodiversity, but also as of national importance.

Crossbane Lough ASSI is a large site with a diversity of plant communities. There is a gradual transition from the open waters of the lough, through a range of fen communities, to heath. The fen vegetation occurs in small stands amongst rocky outcrops and in shallow basins. Species include bottle sedge, common cotton sedge, devil's-bit scabious and marsh violet growing over layers of Sphagnum mosses and brown mosses. By the lake shore, floating mats of fen vegetation occur with the uncommon bog-sedge locally frequent. The open waters of the lough hold a range of aquatic plants, whilst a variable swamp fringe can be found surrounding the lough. Scrub, acid grassland and small pools derived from past peat cutting provide additional habitat diversity. The site also supports a diverse invertebrate community. Moyrourkan Lough ASSI also has a wide range of fen communities surrounding lakes. The fen is dominated by bottle sedge but associated species are highly variable ranging from bog bean and water horsetail in wetter pockets to sweet vernal-grass and Yorkshire-fog in drier areas. The communities also contain a number of species indicative of undisturbed rich fens, generally restricted to east and central Ireland. Wet grasslands and carr woodland provide additional habit diversity. Kiltubbrid Loughs ASSI also has a range of habitats including reedbeds, (found around several of the small loughs and at the larger lake at Castle Dillon) fen and carr woodland.

The LCA has a considerable number of lakes, but many of them have been nutrient enriched from surrounding land, generally as a result of agricultural practices such as slurry and fertilizer application. This nutrient enrichment changes the species composition. However, there are a number of lakes of significance; Crossbane Lough is an example of mesotrophic lakes and of the type that is base and nutrient poor and developed over sandstones (Nymphaea/Fontinalis/Littorella type). Hanslough is an example of eutrophic standing waters and of the type 'Nuphar/Elodea/Potamogeton perfoliatus' that is generally natural in origin and moderately enriched. The water is periodically turbid. This type probably represents the highest diversity of aquatic macrophytes in a eutrophic water body. However, marl lakes are some of the rarest lake types; these are generally found in Fermanagh, but there are some in Armagh where the catchment includes limestone. The Kiltubbrid Loughs are examples in this LCA; these are 'Nuphar/Elodea/Chara/Algae' small, clear-water, un-enriched lakes with relatively high base status.

The major rivers in the LCA are the Callan and the Cusher that feed into the Blackwater and the Upper Bann; both of which contain the Priority Species river water-crowfoot.

Key Issues

General actions for UK and NI Priority Habitats and Priority Species are detailed in the Habitat Action Plans and Species Action Plans.

WOODLANDS

Issue: low woodland cover of variable biodiversity value, but including extensive examples of estate woodland

Actions:

• enhance the biodiversity value of demesne/parkland woodland through control of grazing and felling; by encouraging planting of saplings of the standard trees; by preventing further loss of parkland; by retention of fallen and veteran trees (particularly for bryophytes, ferns, fungi and fauna)
• further study of the history and ecology of demesne and other broadleaved woodlands particularly any ancient and long-established, as a key to future management
• encourage control of grazing in broadleaved woodlands (along streams) to foster regeneration and if necessary, encourage replanting of canopy species
• protect areas of wet woodland, particularly carr woodland, from loss by drainage, land-fill and rubbish dumping, and nutrient enrichment.

GRASSLAND AND ARABLE

Issue: poor biodiversity of farmland

Actions:

• maintain and improve field boundaries especially hedgerows. This may be achieved through adoption of correct cutting cycles; hedge laying and replanting where necessary; leaving saplings uncut to develop into hedgerow trees; avoidance of spraying with fertilizers, slurry, herbicides; provision of wildlife strips and conservation headlands around fields; and limitation of field amalgamation
• encourage (through participation in Environmental Schemes) adoption of less intensive management of pastures to allow reversion to more species-rich grassland and protect unsown areas of species-rich grassland
• encourage continuance of wet grasslands and management to promote diversity of insects and wetland birds such as curlew, snipe and lapwing
• leave stubble over winter, rather than autumn ploughing, to increase food resources for farmland birds; spring sown cereals are beneficial to breeding farmland birds.

WETLANDS

Issue: fens in Northern Ireland are a large proportion of the UK resource, this LCA is a part of the Armagh-Down belt of fens

Actions:

• protect fens against loss by drainage and infill, which includes use as official refuse tips as well as sites in which to deposit building rubble and fly-tipping
• leakage of fertilizers and slurry from surrounding agricultural land should be prevented as this increases the nutrient levels and affects species composition.

Issue: important eutrophic, mesotrophic and marl lakes, but also many affected by nutrient enrichment

Actions:

• protect water quality of lakes and rivers through nutrient management, thus
• promote and encourage existing good farming practices so that streams are not polluted by run-off from agricultural land or seepage from silage pits
• continued monitoring of streams below industrial plants
• monitor streams in relation to expansion of rural/urban housing and associated septic tanks/sewage treatment plants

Click here to return to the Northern Ireland LCA Map