Appendix 3

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Home > Development Plans and Planning Policy > Design Guides > A Design Guide for Rural Northern Ireland

A Design Guide for
Rural Northern Ireland

Table of Contents

Introduction

A Special Landscape

Traditional Qualities

Planning Context

Finding the Right Site

Presenting Your Proposals

Appendices

Application Flowchart

Planning Offices

Rural Planning Policies

Appendix 3
Tree Species

Species Native Trees	Favoured site	Attributes	Hints on growing
Alder Almus glutinosa	Streamside, damp woods, waterlogged sites.	Fast growing. Flourishes in the wettest of places where little else grows, also on clay and fill.	Will not flourish in stagnant water. Easily established and copices well.
Ash Fraxinus excelsior	Open woodland and hedgerows.	Tolerant of cold and exposed sites, including windswept costal areas.	Dislikes waterlogged sites. Best transplanted young.
Birch Betula pubescens	Pioneer species: open sites and woodland.	Hardy and fast-growing. Shelters slower-growing species wide range of of tolerance to exposure, damp ground and poor soils.	Intolerant of shade, grows best free of rank grass.
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa	Hedgerows and rough stoney land.	Dense thicket form makes ideal stock-proof hedge. Tolerates exposed and windswept coastal locations. Provides protection for saplings from grazing.	Plant as whips or transplant suckers.
Cherry (wild) Prunus avium	Woods and hedgerows.	Attractive blossom, foliage and fruit.	Establishes easily.
Crab Apple Malus pumila	Hedgerows	Attractive hedgerow free in form, fruit and flower.	Requires open situation, easily established.
Elm Ulmus glabra	Hedgerows and woodland.	Important hedgerow tree. Fast-growing and tolerant of exposed locations.	Cannot stand dry sites. Some species prone to Dutch Elm Disease.
Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna	Hedgerows and scrub.	Prime hedgerow tree. Provides ideal protection for saplings.	Dislikes acid soils and wet sites.
Hazel Corylus arellana	Woodland under-story, and hillsides.	Excellent as low growth in woodland. Coppices easily and prevents erosion of thin hillside soils.	Intolerant of acid soils. Establish by avoiding competition from grass
Holly ilex aquifolium	Woodland	Evergreen. Hardy, tolerant of exposure, attractive foliage and berries. Grows well in shade.	Intolerant of wet sites. Difficult to establish.
Oak Quercus petraea & Q robur	Individual trees, small groups, woodland	Tolerates shallow rocky soils and can grow well on clay. Very wind-firm.	Grows best when `nursed' between fast-growing species
Rowan Sorhus aucuparia	Open woodland, hillsides.	Hardy, tolerant of exposure. Will grow on thin soils. Attractive flowers and berries.	Prefers dry sites, transplants well.
Whitebeam Sorhus aria	Woodland, rocky ground.	Attractive form,foliage, fruit and flowers. Tolerant of coastal exposure.	As Rowan but also tolerates damper sites
Willows Salix	Streamsides, damp areas plantations	Rapid growth, attractive form in larger species. Good shelterbelt and screen trees. Coppice readily.	Cannot survive permanent waterlogging. Grow from cuttings.

Species Non-native Broadleaves	Favoured site	Attributes	Hints on growing
Beech Fagus svlratica	Single trees, shelterbelts woodland and hedges	Saplings will grow in shade. Salt tolerant. Fine autumn colour.	Best on well-drained sites. Grows best with nurse species.
Lime Tilia vulgaris	Single trees, woodland	Attractive woodland and landscape tree.	Needs shelter when young.
Poplars Popuhcs (many varieties)	Shelterbelts, plantations, streamsides.	Fast growth enables rapid establishment for shelterbelts or timber. White Popular salt resistant	Do not plant near to buildings or drains. Grow from cuttings.
Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum	Woodland. single trees	Ornamental tree with attractive flowers and autumn colour.	Grows well on clay and exposed sites
Sweet Chestnut sativa	Woodland, plantations for coppicing.	Rapid growth. Coppices freely in sheltered locations.	Liable to suffer from cold and exposure.
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus	Hedgerows, woodland.	Hardy, invasive species, tolerant of exposed coastal conditions. Shelterbelt tree around upland farms	Worth using in difficult places. Grows easily.
Conifers Scots Pine Pin us sylvestris	Single trees or groups on acid soils and rocky ground.	Attractive foliage and bark. Previously native. dry	Grows easily. Dislikes lime or wet peat.
Black Pine Pinus nigra	Single trees or groups on light soils, sand or limestone.	Good shelterbelt tree on lime rich soils and for stabilising sand dunes Salt tolerant.	Not wind-firm on clay
Lodgepole & Shore Pines Pinus contorta	Grow on windswept moors and damp soils.	Rapid early growth. Wide range of soil tolerance. Good for shelterbelts.	Many varieties - choice of short heavy crown or tall light crown
Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis	Shelterbelts and plantations in damp situations.	Rapid growth, exposure tolerant. Good for shelter in acid uplands.	Prefers grassy to heathery sites. Needs high rainfall, prefers western countries.
Norway Spruce Picea abies	Shelterbelts and plantations on wet sites, preferably grassy.	Valuable 'nurse' tree fro young hardwoods. Rapid growth an dense foliage makes good shelter.	Dislikes dry sites.
Larch Larix	Single trees or plantations on well drained soils.	Decidiuous conifer. Deep rooting, withstands exposure, good nurse tree for hardwoods.	Particularly suitable for bracken-covered soils.