Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, this project aims to reconnect pockets of precious ancient woodland to allow them to thrive in the future.
The beautiful and picturesque Faughan Valley is made up of a collection of enchanting ancient woods, including Brackfield, Killaloo and Oaks Wood.
Unlike the rest of the UK, only 0.04% of Northern Ireland features ancient woodland, meaning areas like the Faughan Valley are extremely scarce and therefore must be protected.
An Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI), the Faughan Valley is rich in flora and home to an abundance of rare and wonderful wildlife. These unique species rely on the ancient woodland here in order to survive. Otters, Atlantic salmon and lamprey swim in the Faughan River, while red squirrels and pine marten scurry in the trees overhead.
Home to myth and legend, where folk tales began. It fuelled our ancestors and still houses thousands. Ancient woodland has grown and adapted with native wildlife, yet what remains only covers 2.5% of the UK.
Find out more about ancient woodland
A Woodland Trust Wood
Ness Burn Londonderry
10.54 ha (26.04 acres)
A Woodland Trust Wood
Killaloo
6.71 ha (16.58 acres)
A Woodland Trust Wood
Brackfield Claudy
26.92 ha (66.52 acres)
A Woodland Trust Wood
East of Londonderry
22.67 ha (56.02 acres)
As Northern Ireland has only 0.04% ancient woodland cover and one of the key ancient woodland sites is in the Faughan Valley, protecting and restoring this area is of crucial importance.
We need to protect the ancient woodland found here in order to preserve such a rare habitat. We can do this by removing invasive species such as rhododendron and by buffering these species with native trees in between them. By planting around pockets of ancient woodland we create essential corridors to support wildlife such as the red squirrel and the pine marten.
We are working closely with local landowners and farmers to buffer, restore and protect these small pockets of ancient woodland with tree planting, riparian planting and creating larger blocks of native woodland to build resilience for the future. Our MoreWoods scheme allows us to support landowners through funding, supplying saplings and offering advice. There are lots of mutual benefits for landowners planting trees including flood reduction and carbon offsetting. Find out more about the benefits of agroforestry.
As well as restoring and protecting these ancient woods within the Faughan Valley, we also want to improve visitor experience and allow people to enjoy the area and all it has to offer. With investment from the National Lottery Heritage Fund we are working to link up and create new walking trails for visitors to explore the valley.
Our volunteers in the Faughan Valley are involved with anything from building leaky dams to planting and coppicing trees, river monitoring and surveying a whole array of wildlife from bats to butterflies. We also offer accredited training for our volunteers so they can learn new skills that will enable them to help conserve their local areas. Find out more about volunteering with us.
Our Acorns to Oaks programme gives local schools and communities the opportunity to create woodland on their own ground by growing trees from seed to saplings that will be planted in the Faughan Valley. The project provides exciting new outdoor learning opportunities and has a real impact by helping transform local landscapes, making them more resilient for people and wildlife. The programme will run over three years and includes seed collecting sessions in Year 1 and tree planting sessions in Year 3.
We also have opportunities for schools to transform their grounds and create an outdoor classroom through our school grounds programme, which in turn will provide homes for wildlife and help fight climate change. Schools can also achieve the Green Tree School Award by taking part in this programme. Communities can also take part in a similar scheme.
The John Muir Award, a certified environmental award, may be combined with the Green Tree School Award and the Acorns to Oaks programme.
For more information or to get involved, email bronaghgallagher@woodlandtrust.org.uk
Thank you to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their support of our work across The Faughan Valley.
The Faughan Valley Project would be impossible to deliver without our partners Northern Ireland Water and Loughs Agency, our local volunteer team and the local schools and community groups. We're also getting support from the North West Red Squirrel Group, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland, British Trust for Ornithology NI and Rural Area Partnership in Derry.
We need your ongoing support to continue this vital work. If you would like to support our restoration in the Faughan Valley please contact laurathompson@woodlandtrust.org.uk.
