Scohaboy Bog (''Móin na Scotha Buí'' in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

) is a

raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation ( ombro ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It lies approximately 6 km northwest of

Cloughjordan Cloughjordan, officially Cloghjordan ( , ), is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is in the barony of Ormond Lower, and it is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. The town is situated in the north-western part of Tip ...

, County Tipperary, between the N52 and R490 roads. A

Natural Heritage Area Natural Heritage Area () is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in Ireland. The Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 makes legal provision for the designation and protection of a national network of Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs). The de ...

has been designated to protect the bog. The site is owned by

Coillte Coillte (; meaning "forests"/"woods") is a state-owned commercial forestry business in Ireland based in Newtownmountkennedy. Coillte manage approximately 7% of the country’s land, and operates three businesses - their core forestry business, a ...

, along with the adjacent Sopwell woods. Coillte refer to their section of the bog as being approximately 70 ha: the bog is described as "large" in the site synopsis for the Natural Heritage Area, but no area is given. The bog was restored in a project running from 2011 to 2015.

Ecology

As well as typical high bog plants, Scohaboy provides habitat for the rare ''

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

imbricatum'', and ''

Prunus padus ''Prunus padus'', known as bird cherry, hackberry, hagberry, or Mayday tree, is a flowering plant in the rose family. It is a species of cherry, a deciduous small tree or large shrub up to tall. It is the type species of the subgenus '' Padus' ...

'' has been recorded. Scohaboy Bog supports a diversity of raised bog microhabitats, including extensive hummock/hollow complexes. Being one of the more southerly raised bogs in the country adds significantly to its ecological value.

Restoration

Scohaboy Bog is one of two demonstration sites for the European Union LIFE project, "Demonstrating Best Practice in Raised Bog Restoration in Ireland" (LIFE09 NAT/IE/000222).Project sites
Coillte: demonstrating best practice in raised bog restoration The project is being managed by

and focuses on the restoration of 636 ha of raised bog habitat on 17 Coillte owned sites within the

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

Network and in Natural Heritage Areas. The project was jointly funded by EU

Directorate-General for the Environment Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission, responsible for the Environmental policy of the European Union. In 2010 "relevant limate changeactivities in DG Environment" were moved to the new ...

, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (at that time in the remit of the

Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media ( ga, An Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán) is a department of the Government of Ireland. The mission of the department is to promote a ...

) and Coillte. The Cloughjordan Community Development Committee is involved in the management of the project at Scohaboy, where 71.80 ha of bog are being restored. Coillte are aiming to improve the condition of the bog by implementing

ecological restoration Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...

techniques developed in ''Restoring Raised Bog in Ireland'', an earlier LIFE project in which Coillte was involved. This involves removing non-native tree species and blocking drains. They are noting changes in vegetation and water levels.

Access

The demonstration site was officially opened in 2015 by Tom Hayes, TD. A 400m wooden bog bridge leads to a raised platform where visitors can see views across the bog.

Protection

The bog was declared a

(ref. NHA 393) in 2005 under the Irish Wildlife Act. In 2015 it was reported that it was expected to be upgraded to

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

(SAC) status.

Threats

For centuries peat bogs have been harvested for turf (

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

) for use as fuel for domestic fires. The tradition continues at Scohaboy. There is evidence of drainage activity and fire damage.

References

{{coord, 52.979, -8.058, type:landmark_region:IE_dim:10000, display=title Bogs of the Republic of Ireland Natural Heritage Areas of the Republic of Ireland Protected areas of County Tipperary Protected areas established in 2005 Tourist attractions in County Tipperary Cloughjordan