Rehaghy Wood ASSI

Rehaghy Wood covers part of the lower southern flank of Rehaghy Mountain. The bulk of the woodland is composed of acid oakwood and occurs on drier soils. The mature canopy consists of tall Sessile oak, with occasional ash and downy birch. Many of the trees are multi-stemmed having regenerated from stumps as a result of past felling. Hazel forms a dense shrub layer throughout and is accompanied by rowan, holly, hawthorn and most notably bird cherry. Where present, the field layer consists of a scattering of bramble, hard-fern and broad buckler-fern growing over a carpet of wood anemone, bluebell, wood sorrel and mats of big shaggy-moss Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus. Other species include pignut, tufted hair-grass and hairy wood-rush.

Wet woodland occurs occasionally where soils are waterlogged or flushed and provides additional diversity. The canopy is dominated by alder, ash and downy birch, with the notable bird cherry again found occasionally in the shrub layer. The ground flora is characterised by stands of Lady-fern, rough meadow-grass, creeping buttercup, opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage, meadowsweet, remote sedge and the notable thin-spiked wood-sedge.