Nicola Arndt und Matthias Pohl - Neobiota

widespread and an important component of woodlands on base-rich soils. Numerous Atlantic species,
such as Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Dryopteris aemula and Salix cinerea ssp. oleifolia, are also
widespread and abundant.
Table 1: Tree and shrub species considered native to Ireland (after SCANNELL & SYNNOTT 1987).
Major components of the canopy
and/or shrub layer
Alnus glutinosa
Betula pubescens
B. pendula
Corylus avellana
Crataegus monogyna
Fraxinus excelsior
Ilex aquifolium
Prunus spinosa
Quercus robur
Q. petraea
Sambucus nigra
Salix cinerea ssp. oleifolia
Sorbus aucuparia
Minor components of the canopy
and/or shrub layer
Euonymus europaea
Malus sylvestris
Populus tremula
Prunus avium
Salix aurita
3 Potential Natural Forest types of Ireland
S. caprea
Taxus baccata
Ulmus glabra
Viburnum opulus
Rare or local species
Arbutus unedo
Cornus sanguinea
Franguls alnus
Juniperus communis
Ligustrum vulgare
Prunus padus
Rhamnus cathartica
Salix cinerea ssp. cinerea
S. myrsinifolia
S. pentandra
S. phylicifolia
S. purpurea
Sorbus anglica
S. aria agg.
S. rupicola
In many countries the maps of potential natural vegetation are the product of an amalgamation of units
mapped at a large scale. In contrast, in Ireland no detailed systematic survey or mapping of the
vegetation at a large scale has been undertaken. The map of potential natural vegetation for Ireland, as
it appears in the 1 : 2,500,000 Map of the Natural Vegetation of Europe, is one of the first attempts to
map Irish vegetation in this detail and in this respect it is still a coarse instrument (CROSS 1998).
Nonetheless, the map has already stimulated considerable interest and with the associated edaphic and
climatic data and the information on the natural vegetation occurring in complex, it provides a useful
tool for applications in forestry, nature conservation and planning.
Nine forest units are mapped and described, while the degraded raised bogs may be considered a tenth
unit. In addition there are several azonal types, covering small areas, which cannot be mapped at this
scale (CROSS 1987b, KELLY & IREMONGER 1997). These units, with abbreviated titles, are listed in
Table 2; the numbering follows that used in the legend to the map (BOHN et al. 2003).
4 Potential natural vegetation and protected areas
There are c. 6,309 ha of protected native woodlands in the country. Of this approximately 1,730 ha
occur in 5 national parks, c. 2,359 ha in 32 nature reserves and an additional 2,220 ha in other Natural
Heritage Areas (NHAs – sites proposed for protection under national legislation) and proposed Special
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