Wicklow Future Forest Woodland Green Infrastructure of Wicklow
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WICKLOW FUTURE FOREST WOODLAND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE OF WICKLOW SIQI TAN 2021 DRAFT MASTER LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL THESIS-2020/2021 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN CONTENTS 1. WICKLOW OVERVIEW 4 2. RIVERS AND WOODLANDS 28 3. WOODLAND MANAGEMENT 56 4. WICKLOW LANDUSE 60 PROGRAMME MTARC001 - MASTER LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MODULE LARC40450-LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL THESIS 2020-2021 FINAL REPORT 5. DEVELOPING NEW WOODLAND X TUTOR MS SOPHIA MEERES AUTHOR 6. CONCLUSIONS X SIQI TAN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE GRADUATE STUDENT STUDENT №: 17211085 TELEPHONE +353 830668339 7. REFERENCES 70 E-MAIL [email protected] 1. WICKLOW OVERVIEW Map 1.1 Wicklow and Municipal District Dublin Map 1.2 Wicklow Main towns and Townland Bray 6.5 km² POP.: 32,600 Kildare Bray 123.9 km² Greystones Greystones 64.9 km² 4.2 km² POP.: 18,140 Wicklow 433.4 km² Co. Wicklow Wicklow 2025 km² 31.6 km² Baltinglass Population: 142,425 POP.: 10,584 915.1 km² Arklow 486.7 km² Carlow Arklow 6.2 km² POP.: 13,163 County Wicklow is adjacent to County Dublin, Kildare, Carlow and Wexford. There are 1356 townlands in Wicklow. The total area of Wicklow is 2025 km², with the pop- Townlands are the smallest land divisions in Ire- Wexford ulation of 142,425 (2016 Census). land. Many Townlands are of very old origin and 4 they developed in various ways – from ancient 5 Nowadays, Wicklow is divided by five municipal clan lands, lands attached to Norman manors or districts. Plantation divisions. GIS data source: OSI GIS data source: OSI 1.1 WICKLOW LIFE Map 1.3 Wicklow Roads and Buildings Map 1.4 Housing and Rivers Bray Bray Greystones Greystones Wicklow Wicklow Arklow Arklow Roads of all levels are very dense in the towns, with fewer main roads in the suburbs and only a A great number of housings along rivers and lakes few national roads in the mountains. under 200m elevation while most artificial features in main cities. Housing 6 The four main towns are linked by national road 7 N11. The unnatural area is around 73.9 km², 3.6% of total area of Co. Wicklow. GIS data source: OSI GIS data source: OSI Map 1.5 Division Lines Map 1.6 Woodland, Rivers and Housing Bray Bray Greystones Greystones Wicklow Wicklow Arklow Arklow The housing area is around 73.9 km², 3.6% of total The divison lines are mostly hedeges, field area of Co. Wicklow. boundaries, fances and other man-made struc- tures. The land type includes urban fabrics, commercial 8 areas, sports ground and so on. They formed the 9 Wicklow is still lack of hedge mapping. Housing main part of urban structure, which influncing citizens’ daily life. GIS data source: OSI GIS data source: OSI 1.3 WICKLOW NATURAL HERITAGE Map 1.7 Nature Reserves and pNHA Table 1.1 List of pNHA in Wicklow proposed Natural Heritage Areas in Wicklow № SITE NAME AREA/ha № SITE NAME AREA/ha 7 1 1 Ballyman Glen 11.23 18 Dargle River Valley 19.07 2 Bray Head 193.78 19 Glencree Valley 84.98 18 2 26 3 Carriggower Bog 93.02 20 Glenealy Woods 387.07 19 6 4 Devil's Glen 172.98 21 Holdenstown Bog 3.89 27 25 5 Glen Of The Downs 74.45 22 Newtown Marshes 170.54 5 6 Kilmacanoge Marsh 13.91 23 Lowtown Fen 12.79 10 3 7 Knocksink Wood 68.63 24 Magherabeg Dunes 58.21 22 8 Buckroney-Brittas Dunes And Fen 392.69 25 Powerscourt Waterfall 83.00 9 The Murrough 768.92 26 Powerscourt Woodland 241.27 28 10 Poulaphouca Reservoir 2,159.72 27 Great Sugar Loaf 338.74 29 33 11 Vale Of Clara (Rathdrum Wood) 381.47 28 Vartry Reservoir 352.12 9 12 Wicklow Head 44.12 29 Dunlavin Marshes 20.60 13 Arklow Rock-Askintinny 58.24 30 Tomnafinnoge Wood 72.01 4 37 36 14 Arklow Sand Dunes 16.41 31 Wicklow Town Sites 3.69 15 Avoca River Valley 517.75 32 Arklow Town Marsh 83.89 17 20 31 16 Ballinacor Wood 285.03 33 Hollywood Glen 15.47 12 23 17 Ballycore Rath 13.84 34 Avondale 0.05 11 35 24 Table 1.2 List of Nature Reserves in Wicklow 16 21 Nature Reserves in Wicklow 34 Index № in № Site Name Area/ha Established Ownership Map 1.7 8 1 Knocksink Wood 52 1994 State-owned 7 2 15 Glen of the Downs 59 1980 State-owned 5 3 Deputy's Pass 47 1982 State-owned 35 4 Vale of Clara 220 1983 State-owned 11 14 5 Glendalough 157 1988 State-owned 36 32 6 Glenealo Valley 1,958 1988 State-owned 37 30 13 There are 35 sites of proposed Natural Heritage Areas (pNHA) in Wicklow. The total area is 76 km². Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) are areas considered important for the habitats present or which holds species of plants and animals whose habitat needs protection. Also 6 Nature Reserves in WIcklow. 10 Proposed Natural Heritage Area (pNHAs) were published on a non-statutory basis in 1995, but 11 Currently, there is no Natural Heritage Areas have not since been statutorily proposed or designated. These sites are of significance for wildlife (NHA) in Wicklow. and habitats. (NPWS, 2015) GIS data source: NPWS Data source: NPWS Image 1.1-1.6 Nature Reserves Knocksink Wood Nature Re- serve Some of the valley slopes are dominated by sessile oak, Vale of Clara Nature Reserve while other areas are charac- terised by mixed woodland. A large area of fragmented Notable features of the slopes oak-wood. It contains the are the frequent and exten- largest area of semi-natural sive springs and seepage ar- woodland in Co. Wicklow and eas within the woodland. The is potentially one of the largest site has one of the most di- stands of native hardwoods in verse woodland invertebrate the country. The area has been faunas in Ireland, incorporat- at least partially under wood- ing wet woodland organisms land since the Ice Age. The oak- threatened internationally woods are also of high scenic within the EU. value. Knocksink Woods (Gaoithe, 2020) Vale of Clara (British Library, 2009) Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve Glendalough Nature Reserve This is an area of sessile oak. It is a very good example of the A broad open valley surround- drier type of oak woodland ed by mountains and generally characteristic of acid soils in consists of a large plateau of Wicklow. mixed heathland and peatland. Gold Bearing river in Glen of the Downs (Keger, 2014) View from Glenealo Valley into Glendalough Valley (Janßen, 2012) Deputy’s Pass Nature Reserve Glenealo Valley Nature Reserve Although coppice in origin this woodland is a good ex- A series of oak woods extend- ample of its type. ing from the upper lake to the lower slopes of Derrybawn The woods are composed of Mountain. 12 sessile oak, holly, hazel, birch 13 and beech, with an under planting of wood sorrel, blue- Deputy's Pass (Rathdrum Walkers, 2014) berry, bilberry, and woodrush. Glenealo Valley (Janßen, 2020) Text source: NPWS, 2015 Map 1.8 SAC and SPA Table 1.3 List of SAC & SPA in Wicklow Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) in Wicklow Area in Index № in № Site Name County Date Wicklow/ha Map 1.7/1.8 1 Ballyman Glen Dublin, Wicklow 11.23 2003 1 2 Bray Head Dublin, Wicklow 197.52 1999 2 1 3 Buckroney-Brittas Dunes and Fen Wicklow 320.65 1999 38 7 2 4 Carriggower Bog Wicklow 84.30 2003 3 5 Deputy's Pass Nature Reserve Wicklow 47.88 1995 35 5 6 Glen of the Downs Wicklow 74.45 1995 5 7 Holdenstown Bog Wicklow 4.05 2003 21 43 41 3 8 Kilpatrick Sandhills Wexford, Wicklow 0.03 1999 39 9 Knocksink Wood Wicklow 87.89 1995 7 10 Magherabeg Dunes Wicklow 74.61 1999 24 Carlow, Wexford, 9 11 Slaney River Valley 505.89 1998 40 Wicklow 12 The Murrough Wetlands Wicklow 602.70 1998 9 13 Vale of Clara (Rathdrum Wood) Wicklow 378.25 1995 11 42 14 Wicklow Mountains Dublin, Wicklow 30,350.85 1999 41 40 44 11 15 Wicklow Reef Wicklow 1,523.56 2003 42 35 Total Area 34,263.86 24 Special Protection Areas (SPA) in Wicklow Area in Index № in 21 № Site Name County Date Wicklow/ha Map 1.7/1.8 38 1 Poulaphouca Reservoir Kildare, Wicklow 1,978.78 2004 43 2 The Murrough Wicklow 940.78 2009 9 3 Wicklow Head Wicklow 195.05 2003 44 4 Wicklow Mountains Dublin, Wicklow 28,646.67 2004 41 Total Area 31,761.28 39 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are prime wildlife conservation areas in the country, consid- ered to be important on a European as well as Irish level. The legal basis on which SACs are selected and designated is the EU Habitats Directive, transposed into Irish law by the European Communi- ties (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 477 of 2011), as amended. Special Protection Areas (SPAs): Ireland is required under the terms of the EU Birds Directive (2009/147/EC) to designate Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for the protection of: · Listed rare and vulnerable species · Regularly occurring migratory species There are 15 sites of Special Areas of Conservtion · Wetlands especially those of international importance 14 (SAC) and 4 Special Protection Areas (SPA) in (NPWS, 2015) 15 Wicklow. The Murrough and Wicklow Mountains are both SAC and SPA. GIS data source: NPWS Data source: NPWS Map 1.9 WMNP and Wicklow Montains in SAC and SPA Image 1.1 Map of WMNP The boundary of Wicklow Mountains National Park is different with Wicklow Mountains in SAC or SPA.