Coillte recognise that it is essential to protect and, where appropriate, enhance biodiversity features during day-to-day management of our forests. Biodiversity features can occur anywhere across the estate, not just in Biodiversity Areas. Many biodiversity features occur in areas where timber production is the primary management objective, and we are developing the practice of ensuring they are protected during forest operations. Biodiversity features (see table, below) are small habitats or structures that support species and add diversity to our forests.

An essential component in their protection is the recording of these features, so that this information is readily available when plans are being drawn up for forest operations. In 2001, recording of biodiversity features became an integral part of Coillte's Inventory system. By the end of 2005, an estimated 18,995 biodiversity features had been recorded across Coillte's estate. In this system, there are 10 different categories of biodiversity features:

Biodiversity Feature	Explanation
Specimen trees	Old and specimen trees of any species
Scrub and undeveloped	Small pockets of scrub oak, ash, birch, hazel, willow and conifer species of importance
Group	Small groups of mature trees of any species that are not part of the main crop, located as groups within the forest or along the edges or margins
Open Space	For example, uncut blanket bog or raised bog; cutaway bog; heath; unimproved grassland; bracken; coastal habitat, eg. dunes; ridelines (with specific biodiversity interest), eg. broad open rideline with heath, bog or grassland vegetation); rock outcrop; gullies
Water	River, Stream, Lake, Pond - ie. open water
Wetland	Freshwater marsh, reedbed, swamp, fen habitat
Bird	Important Nesting Site, eg. Merlin, Hen harrier, Peregrine falcon, Nightjar, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Kestrel, Long-eared owl, Barn owl, Heron
Mammal	Important Breeding Site, eg. badger set, otter holt, red squirrel drey, bat roost
Rare Plant	Example, wintergreen, Killarney fern, narrow-leaved helleborine, bird's nest orchid, toothwort
Other	Other important biodiversity feature, not covered in the list above, eg. freshwater pearl mussel, wood-ant nest.