Maghera

The Woodland Trust expanded into Northern Ireland in 1996. Their aim is to acquire existing woods and places for new woodland creation, in order to provide free public access for all and a stable, sustainable future for our woodlands.

Two HLF have been awarded here. The first helped support the Woodland Trust’s purchase of the ancient oak and hazel woodland at Drumlamph. A second grant is being used to enhance the biodiversity of the woodland and surrounding habitats – good news for the wood’s precious inhabitants, such as the red squirrel, pine marten and Irish hare.

Northern Ireland has the lowest tree cover of anywhere in the UK and is in fact one of the least wooded regions in Europe, second only to Iceland. Ancient woodland (land continuously wooded since at least 1600) is particularly scarce an has been whittled down to isolated fragments. Protecting what is left of this special habitat is therefore a priority.

Historic records of woodland at Drumlamph go back at least as far as 1599 and show an extensive forest running along the western side of the lower River Bann and Lough Neagh. Today’s remaining woodland, although reduced in size, is a living reminder of this distant past.

The local Carntogher Community Association carried out an environmental audit of the area. This led to plans being drawn up for the purchase of a neighbouring panel of land through the Woodland Trust’s ‘Woods on your Doorstep’ project – a good example of effective partnership working and community involvement. This is just the beginning. In time, Drumlamph Wood will be linked into the Heritage Trails in the area, leading visitors to Carntogher Mountain and the beautiful Sperrin Hills.