The majority of these fragments occur on steep-sided slopes above rivers and lakes which have avoided clearance and intensive grazing pressure.
[4] The ground is covered with a deep blanketing of mosses and liverworts, which rise up the trunks of the trees onto the horizontal branches and up into the canopy.
[4] The Celtic Rainforest is dominated by sessile oak (Quercus petraea), downy birch (Betula pubescens) and European ash (Fraxinus excelsior).
This area is dominated by silvery-grey leafy species of lichens that grow directly on the tree bark, not on mosses.
[4] Since the 20th century, conservation efforts have resulted in the protection and management of many of these woodlands, to address problems such as invasive Rhododendron, excessive grazing from sheep and deer, and non-native plantation trees.