Rostrevor Wood ASSI

Rostrevor Wood is a mature Oak Woodland known to be at least 250 years old and may be a remnant of the original forest which once covered the region. The dominant woodland type occurs on the upper, freely-draining slopes that are acidic in nature. The tall, dense canopy is dominated by oak with an understorey of hazel and occasional holly and a field layer of bramble, honeysuckle and bilberry.

The ground flora is typically acidic with carpets of greater wood-rush. 
The lower slopes are flushed and mildly base-rich resulting in the presence of ash, and to a lesser extent goat willow and Wych elm in the canopy. 
The field layer and the ground flora are typically much more diverse.
The woodland flora also includes a number of rare plants such as wood fescue, toothwort and bird's-nest orchid. A number of nationally scarce species of Lichen have also been recorded for the site includingMelaspilea granitophia, a record new to Ireland. Invertebrate sampling has indicated that the site is also important for a number of hoverflies and house-flies from the order Diptera.