SCRUB - SCATTERED

Scrub - scattered: scattered scrub vegetation with shrub species or shrub growth forms covering 25% - 75% of the ground. Parcels of land with less than 25% shrub cover are classified as other types of primary habitat.

Habitat examples: Click on an image to enlarge.
     
Scrub - scattered: distribution in Northern Ireland.
Scattered scrub covers 0.7% of NI (9,469 ha) (Table below), occurring throughout all study areas.
Scrub - scattered: predicted distribution map (1998).
Scrub - scattered: net change 1991 - 1998.
There was little net cover change in NI overall, but there were significant increases of Scattered scrub in the Mourne AONB (144%, 165 ha) and Fermanagh District (101%, 623 ha).
Scrub - scattered: summary of losses and gains 1991 - 1998.

Scrub - scattered: main losses and gains 1991 - 1998:
Scattered scrub gains are largely related to scrub invasion on a wide range of seminatural and agricultural grassland habitats. Losses are also largely related to natural successions, for example from Scattered scrub to Dense scrub. Habitats in the losses and gains table below are linked to their descriptors and NI data. Full details of all losses and gains are given in the technical report.
 
Losses
(1991 - 98)
Habitats Gains
(1991 - 98)
ha  % ha  %
352 4 *     Broadleaf seminatural woodland 59 <1  
5 <1       Broadleaf plantation woodland 87 2  
1150 13 *     Scrub - dense 112 3 *
10 <1       Species-rich dry grassland 53 <1  
25 <1       Species-rich wet grassland 307 1 *
0         Fen meadow 185 3  
12 <1       Bent/fescue grassland 63 <1  
81 <1       Tall herb/ruderal 514 5 *
0         Bracken - continous 156 7  
4 <1       Gorse heath - scattered 148 4  
0         Wet heath 70 <1  
 0         Wet bog 111 <1 *
0         Molinia grassland 133 5  
2 <1       Poor fen 105 <1 *
144 2 *     Perennial ryegrass 68 <1 *
233 3 *     Other agricultural grassland 261 <1 *
81 <1       Buildings/curtilage nc    
129 1       Bare ground/surfaces nc    
Note : % = percentage of 1991 habitat area.
           * = indicates significant transition (p = 0.05).
          nc = not calculated.
 
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