| species | type | preferred site | unsuitable sites | conservation value | insects supported | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alder Alnus glutinosa |
E/F | Patriculary suited to wet ground & stream banks. Will tolerate some winter flooding. Useful for very wept sites. | Not suited to dry sandy ground | Early flowering, good for insects. Seeds last long, good for tits, siskins & redpolls. Esp. good for red squirrels | 90 | Enrichens soil with nitrogen. Fast growing but short lived Coppices well. Good for stabilizing river banks. Small to medium tree. |
| Ash Fraxinus excelsior |
F | Best suited to deep well drained neutral to alkaline soils. Will withstand exposed sites/windswept costal areas | Not suited to waterlogged sites. Farmers don’t like it planted beside cultivated land because of its shallow rooting system | Gives only light shade so good for ground flora. Good for insects. Seeds good for birds, small mammals and red squirrels. Good for lichens | 41 | Very common in hedgerows throughout |
| Birches Betula pubescens Betula pendula |
E/f | Likes light infertile soils. Downy does particularly well on wet, poorly drained peat. Silver Birch however needs good drainage | Does not well in shade. Likes a sunny position | Casts light shade so good for ground flora. Seeds good for birds/red squirrels. Very good for insects/fungi. Good for dead wood | 9 | Does not transplant well. Therefore can be difficult to establish although in natural conditions is a pioneer species and can be invasive. Fast growing/short lived |
| Cherry, Bird Prunus padus |
E | Likes damp fertile soils. Tolerant of more acid sandy soils |
Doesn’t like exposed sites | Early flowering. Very good for insects. Fruit good for birds | Found in mixed deciduous woodland, typically in the Glens of Antrim or Sperrin valleys | |
| Cherry Wild/Gean Prunus avium |
L/f | Prefers fertile woodland soils but tolerates clay as well. Shallow rooting |
Dislikes wet sites. | Early flowering good for insects. Early flowering good for insects. (and seed collectors!) | Often found in old hedgerows. Tolerates some shade. May be grown by lifting rooted suckers | |
| Crab apple Malus pumila |
L/F | Prefers neutral to alkaline soils, but thrives in all fertile including heavy soils. | Early flowering good for insects. Fruits good for insects and birds. | 93 | Unlike modern hybrid apples, crab apples grow true from the apple pips | |
| Elm, Wych Ulmus glabara |
F | No particular preference but thrives in fertile free draining soils | Dislikes very dry sites | Early flowers are very important for insects. Seeds important for red squirrels | 82 | English Elm is the most prone to Dutch Elm disease but it does affect Wych.E. |
| Hazel Corylus avellana |
E/S | Prefers heavier fertile soils. Will tolerate some shade. Ideal for hillsides and steep banks | Does not like acid soils | Associated with a rich ground flora. Very good for insects, nuts eaten by many mammals and birds good lichen tree, esp. old stems | 73 | An ideal understory species. Coppices well. Shade tolerant |
| Holly Ilex aquifolium |
E/S | A very hardy species. Tolerant of exposed sites and shape. Prefers neutral to acid peaty soils | Dislikes wet, poorly drained sites | Berries important for thrushes. Food-plant of the holly blue butterfly. Good roost site for birds in winter. | 7 | Slow growing. Useful in hedges and screens. Shade tolerant. Coppices well. Can be difficult to establish. Only female produce berries |
| Oak, Sessile Quercus petraea |
F | Tolerates poorer, lighter, more acid soils than robur. More shade tolerant than robur, also more tolerant of frost. | Dislikes badly drained infertile soils. Must have plenty of space | Excellent for many forms of wildlife, insects, bird nesting cover, dead wood, fungi, lichens | 284 | Excellent tree for wildlife Should be the basis of all woodland plantings. Very long living |
| Oak, Pendunculate Quercus robur |
F | Prefers clay soils and damp lowlands but generally tolerant | As for Q. petraea | As for Q. petraea. A high density of moth caterpillars. | 284 | As for Q. petraea |
| Rowan Scorbus aucuparia |
E/S | Grows in poor thin acid soils. Very hardy. Tolerant of exposed sites. | Dislikes wet sites. | Good insect tree. Important berry crop. | 28 | Can grow up to an altitude of 1000m. a good size for a small garden. |
| Scots pine Pinus sylvestris |
F/E | Thrives on light sandy soils/also on peaty acid soils. Does well on dry sites. |
Dislikes chalk/limestone soils. Does not like exposure to sea winds. | Good nesting tree. Cones excellent for red squirrels. Roots site for winter birds. | 91 | The best known and best loved of our native conifers. |
| Whitebeam, Irish Sorbus hibernica |
E | Prefers alkaline soils but grows in a wide range of soils. Tolerates coastal exposure, rocky ground and fairly damp sites. | Dislikes very wet sites. | Good insect tree, important berry crop. | Best suited to hedgerows. Tolerates shade. |
|
| Yew Taxus baccata |
E/F | Prefers well drained alkaline soils. Tolerates shade | Does not like very wet sites. | Berries good for birds. | 4 | Poisonous leaves, very slow growing. One of our 3 native conifers. Mainly found in South Fermanagh. |
KEY
F = high forest tree
f = minor forest tree
E = edge plants suitable for open woods, woodland edges or hedges
L = loners suitable for spot planting
S = plants for shrub layer under high forest trees