Portumna Forest Park
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 3.94 mi
- Elevation gain
- 46 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Easy
- Elevation loss
- 46 ft
- Max elevation
- 182 ft
- TrailRank
- 30
- Min elevation
- 102 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 2 hours 6 minutes
- Coordinates
- 2314
- Uploaded
- April 30, 2023
- Recorded
- April 2023
near Portumna, Connacht (Ireland)
Viewed 69 times, downloaded 3 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
The Park is owned and managed by Coillte, The Irish Forestry Board. It is situated on the historic demesne of the 17th century Portumna Castle. The Castle was accidentally destroyed by fire in 1826, but has been recently refurbished and is open to the public. A demesne was the land set aside by the big house for self-sufficiency and leisure.
The Forestry Division, later to become Coillte, acquired the lands (450ha, 1,125 acres) in 1948 and gradually planted commercial conifers over a five-year period. Sitka spruce, Norway spruce, European larch, Japanese larch and Douglas fir were all planted but Scot's pine was the main species. The Park now has one of the largest areas of Scot's pine in the country.
The open canopy of Scot's pine encourages an understorey of native shrubs and grasses. This is mixed with numerous native trees and shrubs such as pedunculate oak, sessile oak, ash, alder, birch and guelder rose. There are open spaces, ponds, streams and the lake- shore. This makes a unique habitat for a wide variety of woodland flora. The fauna include red squirrels and pine martens and several species of bat, as well as a long list of birds, butterflies and dragonflies.
The Forestry Division, later to become Coillte, acquired the lands (450ha, 1,125 acres) in 1948 and gradually planted commercial conifers over a five-year period. Sitka spruce, Norway spruce, European larch, Japanese larch and Douglas fir were all planted but Scot's pine was the main species. The Park now has one of the largest areas of Scot's pine in the country.
The open canopy of Scot's pine encourages an understorey of native shrubs and grasses. This is mixed with numerous native trees and shrubs such as pedunculate oak, sessile oak, ash, alder, birch and guelder rose. There are open spaces, ponds, streams and the lake- shore. This makes a unique habitat for a wide variety of woodland flora. The fauna include red squirrels and pine martens and several species of bat, as well as a long list of birds, butterflies and dragonflies.
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