Hill Landscapes

Abstract

Hill landscapes described here refer to the upland areas between 150 and 500 m above sea level with majority of the hill locations concentrated in the southern half of the country, particularly in the uplands of Munster. The area captured within the hill landscapes accounts for approximately 1.4 million (M) hectares (ha), of which about 0.5 M ha can be classified as peat soils. The range in altitude defined here results in a much broader portion of the catena being captured, such that the soil associations being described will range from upland hill soils to those found in the foothills. Accordingly, soil types include the Lithosol Great Soil Group typical of upland areas, to Brown Earths and Luvisols that occur further down the catena that may progress naturally into Surface-water Gleys. Histic Lithosols represent one of the main Soil Subgroups found and belong to the Lithosol Great Soil Group which are non-calcareous shallow soils (<30 cm depth) overlying hard rock or skeletal and gravelly material. These stony soils are found frequently interspersed with rock outcrops and have a peaty surface horizon (>20% organic carbon) that is less than 40 cm thick. Typical Brown Earths are commonly found, as are the wetter Stagnic Luvisols that lead naturally into the even wetter Surface-water Gleys. Hill soils capture a wide range in relation to categories of soil suitability and land use. Histic Lithosols exhibit extremely limited agricultural land use potential in comparison to Typical Brown Earths that exhibit few limitations in that regard. Wetter soils, such as Surface-water Gleys, are considered heavy from an agricultural perspective. As they are frequently found on heavy glacial till, they are often characterised by heavy textured subsoil. Typically, grass production is the optimum agricultural use for these soils but good management for grazing is essential to reduce the risk of poaching.