Northern Ireland launches major project to restore ancient Atlantic rainforest

COUNTY TYRONE, NORTHERN IRELAND — In a landmark push for ecological restoration, conservationists and local officials have officially broken ground on a sweeping initiative to revive one of Europe's rarest and most threatened habitats: the temperate Atlantic rainforest.

Centered at Lenamore Wood in the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains near Gortin, County Tyrone, nearly 30,000 native Irish trees—including sessile oak, alder, and rowan—have been planted across a sprawling 41-acre site. 

Spearheaded by the conservation charity Ulster Wildlife in partnership with corporate sustainability backers, the project aims to expand a fragile fragment of ancient woodland into a thriving, resilient rainforest ecosystem.

Reversing Centuries of Deforestation

Often referred to as Celtic rainforests or Atlantic oakwoods, these specialized habitats thrive in areas characterized by high rainfall, persistent moisture, and mild oceanic temperatures. Millennia ago, such lush woodlands blanketed vast stretches of Ireland and western Britain. However, centuries of intensive agriculture, land clearance, and human settlement have chipped away at the landscape, reducing native woodlands to a fraction of their historical range—covering less than 1% of the region today.

Conservation experts note that while tropical rainforests command global headlines, temperate rainforests like those once native to Ireland are exceptionally scarce.

"This is an ambitious multi-decade vision to turn back the clock on nature loss," said Rosemary Mulholland, Head of Nature Recovery at Ulster Wildlife. "Restoring these cool, humid woodland habitats not only builds resilience against climate change and extreme weather, but creates a vital sanctuary for specialized wildlife that depends on it for survival."

A Sanctuary for Biodiversity and Climate Resilience

Once established, the expanded canopy is expected to offer crucial habitats for endangered or declining native species, including red squirrels, Irish stoats, wood warblers, and a diverse array of rare mosses, ferns, lichens, and fungi.

Beyond biodiversity gains, the project forms a core component of regional carbon-reduction frameworks, helping lock away atmospheric carbon while easing local flood and drought pressures.

Although conservationists acknowledge that a fully functioning, multi-tiered rainforest will take a century or more to completely mature, local communities and the public are being integrated into the journey. Lenamore Wood is slated to open fully as a public nature reserve featuring network trails, offering visitors a front-row seat to watch the re-emergence of Ireland’s ancient green heart.