Rare ancient rainforest in Northern Ireland set to come back to life
Summary
A rare type of ancient forest called a temperate rainforest is being restored in Northern Ireland. An organization called Ulster Wildlife has started a 100-year project to bring back this rare forest by planting native trees, with financial support from a company called Aviva.Key Facts
- Northern Ireland has a rare ancient woodland known as a temperate rainforest or Atlantic/Celtic rainforest.
- Only 0.04% of Northern Ireland’s land is ancient woodland.
- Ulster Wildlife is leading a 100-year restoration project at Lenamore Wood near Omagh.
- Nearly 30,000 native trees like oak, alder, and rowan have been planted since early 2026.
- The project is funded partly by Aviva, which has committed around £38 million to restore these rainforests across the UK.
- Temperate rainforests have high rainfall, mild temperatures, and lots of humidity which support mosses, lichens, and a variety of plants and animals.
- These forests were once widespread but were cleared for farming and settlements over thousands of years, with major losses between the 16th and 19th centuries.
- It will take about 100 years for the forest to fully regrow at the project site.
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