Facility
Hillsborough

A lowland grassland site situated at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Co. Down, Northern Ireland and representative of grassland in much of the north-western United Kingdom. There are several long-term experiments, for example on slurry application and nitrogen cycling on grazed plots receiving different levels of nitrogen input. A large part of the site used for the biological aspects of ECN monitoring is estate woodland (Hillsborough Forest) consisting of mature mixed woodland and conifer plantation. Many of the vegetation plots are located within this forested area, as are sections of the butterfly, carabid beetle, spider and bird transects.