Northern Ireland's Ancient Rainforest Revival: A Century-Long Green Dream

Northern Ireland is home to a rare and ancient type of forest called a temperate rainforest. Unlike the tropical rainforests found in hot countries, these forests are cool, damp, and filled with native trees like oak, alder, and rowan. Sadly, only a tiny part of Northern Ireland still has these old forests left. To help bring them back, Ulster Wildlife has started a huge project at Lenamore Wood near Omagh. Their goal is to restore the temperate rainforest over the next 100 years. So far, almost 30,000 trees have been planted on the 41-acre site, and the first trees went into the ground in early 2026. The project is expensive, but with help from partners like Aviva, who have given about £38 million, the team is hopeful for the future.

When you visit Lenamore Wood, you will see thousands of white plastic tubes sticking up from the ground. These tubes protect the young trees as they grow. It will take about a year before the trees start to poke out of the tubes, but it will be at least 100 years before the forest is fully grown. Rosemary Mulholland, who leads the project, says it is sad that she will not see the forest finished, but she feels lucky to help bring back a lost habitat. John Martin from the Woodland Trust explains that temperate rainforests are full of life, with mosses, lichens, and many animals. These forests help protect nature and store carbon, which is important for fighting climate change.

Long ago, after the last ice age, most of Ireland was covered in forests. Over thousands of years, people cleared the land for farming and building towns, and many forests disappeared. The biggest losses happened between the 16th and 19th centuries. Now, people like Eoghan Daltun are working to restore rainforests on their own land. Eoghan has spent 17 years rewilding his farm in Cork, planting trees and letting nature recover. He believes that saving these forests is important for everyone’s future. At Lenamore Wood, the team will keep track of how the forest grows by taking photos and counting birds, butterflies, and bats. They hope that one day, people will be able to visit the forest, walk among the trees, and see how nature has come back to life. This project is not just for today, but for future generations to enjoy and learn from.