Niall Farrelly

Site index of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) in relation to different measures of site quality in Ireland

To examine the relationships between Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) site index and site quality variables, we sampled 201 Sitka spruce stands covering the entire range of sites supporting the growth of the species in Ireland. Site index varied significantly with climate and climate surrogate variables, some site quality variables, soil physical and chemical properties, edatopes (combinations of soil nutrient and moisture regimes), rotation types, provenance, and fertilizer regimes. We developed a series of models to predict site index using climate, site, soil physical and chemical properties, edaphic variables, and management factors as predictor variables. Soil nutrient regime (SNR) exhibited the strongest relationship of all variables examined in the study, explaining 51% of the variation in site index, with site index increasing with increasing SNR. We found that edaphic variables of soil moisture regime and SNR produced the best prediction of site index. The species showed the best dev...

The Irish Forest Soils Project and its Potential Contribution to the Assessment of Biodiversity

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has proposed methods and thematic areas for data collection that are appropriate to the evaluation of biodiversity. The Heritage Council has identified a paucity of data on habitats in Ireland. Within this context, we outline the Irish Forest Soils (IFS) element of the Forest Inventory and Planning System (FIPS) and present a detailed account of land-cover mapping, which is an important aspect of the project. The IFS project aims to produce a national thematic map of land cover using soft-copy photogrammetry, combined with satellite-image classification and field survey. This aspect of the IFS project generates data on land cover at different spatial and classification resolutions. We report on the progress made to date and present illustrative examples of the data sets. The UNEP proposals provide a useful framework within which to discuss the potential contribution of IFS data to the assessment of biodiversity.

Conservation and Rural Environmental Protection Schemes

One of the main effects of intensification of agriculture in the last half century has been the reduction in the area of the various semi-natural habitats associated with traditional, mixed farming (Vickery et al. 2004). In general, since the land cover type and productivity of a specific location determine intensity of farming practices, the greatest habitat losses have occurred in lowland, fertile areas dominated by arable farming. However, as the RSPB (2001) point out, the decline in habitat quality has also been a major factor in marginal agricultural areas. Solutions to these problems of habitat loss have, in general, involved, firstly, the agricultural landscape being targeted for remedial work and secondly, the motivation of landowners by policymakers to change any farm practices that are detrimental to the rural environment. Incentives have been provided through a range of policy measures including agri-environment and wildlife management schemes.