Ancient & Veteran Tree Inventory - Glen of the Downs SAC

Treespace has recently completed an inventory of the old trees in an iconic woodland in north County Wicklow. The Glen of the Downs is a designated nature reserve and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The nature reserve is 59 hectares and was established in 1980, the SAC is 79.29 hectares and was designated in 2019. The SAC is part of the Natura 2000 network which are a web of protected sites offering refuge to some of Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats. There are nine species of invertebrates, seven bird species, ten plant species, and one mammal species listed on the Natura 2000 standard data form associated with the site. One of the bird species is Asio otus (long-eared owl) which has been associated with tree hollows.

The fieldwork for the inventory was undertaken during the winter of 2022 and presented a number of challenges. The steep slopes of the glen and dense woodland were difficult to navigate, however exploring the woodland and looking for the oldest trees was a fascinating experience. In total 420 trees were included in the tree survey. The location of each surveyed tree was recorded to sub meter accuracy. The most common species were sessile oak (Quercus petraea), common beech (Fagus sylvatica) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior). Seven trees were classified as ancient, 31 trees were classified as veteran, 201 transition veterans and 181 mature notable trees. One of the most impressive ancient trees was a beech tree established in the southern end of the SAC. The trunk was completely hollow and the girth at breast height measured 6.45 m.

Below are images of two oak trees and the view from the ridge of the glen.