Application of multivariate methods to the conservation management of Hazel scrub in northeast Ireland

Abstract

The plant species composition of seminatural woods in Northeast Ireland was recorded. Three main types of woodland were identified in habitats where combinations of steep slope, poor drainage and accumulations of large boulders have, in the past, made them unsuitable for agriculture. Despite these characteristics, clearance for agriculture is proceeding rapidly, but mainly in woods from poorly drained sites. Badly drained woods also have a relatively higher proportion of regionally rare plant species and there is, therefore, an argument for some priority for their conservation. The population size-structures of trees were used to predict future changes in canopy composition, possibly originating from the introduction of myxomatosis to Ireland. Such changes may give rise to management problems associated with canopy closure and a subsequent reduction of species diversity.