Castlebank Plantation
Description
Much of the wood consists predominantly of pedunculate oak, but a lot appears to have taken out and birch has taken its place. Some sycamore, poplars and conifers are to be found but nowhere do these dominate any appreciable area. Oak and birch regeneration is good where canopy is sufficiently open and where bracken is not dense. The understorey is mainly holy and rhododendron. In addition to bracken, bramble, creeping soft-grass and bent-grass occur in stands in the field layer. A bank which leads down to a pool has an impressive abundance of ferns (male fern, broad buckler fern) interspersed with wavy hair-grass.
The pool gives greater diversity to the area and its surrounding ground flora is of some interest. Wood anemones, wood sorrel, herb Robert, dogs mercury, violets, greater stitchwort and wood sedge grow. On the pool's western side is a wet area in an old limestone working and a stream runs out to the east.
Management Recommendations
Open canopy by sycamore removal to encourage natural regeneration of the native species. Rhododendrons can similarly be removed.