CHOBHAM COMMON NNR - Surrey Wildlife Trust

Some areas of dry heathland where Molinia caerulea is becoming dominant
should receive a single flail cut during the winter months, where possible
using a flail collector or forage harvester and removing the arisings from site.
In order to achieve favourable condition it is necessary to manage scrub to
prevent succession to woodland habitats, this can best be achieved by the
selective removal of scrub, with stump treatment, over a ten-year cycle across
the site, with remedial follow-up clearance/herbicide treatment where
necessary. Sufficient scattered trees, scrub and coppiced scrub blocks should
be retained to maintain the conservation and landscape value of the site and
to meet the habitat needs of key species and assemblages. With the
exception of the Clump, which is to be retained as a landscape feature, areas
of pine woodland on the NNR should be progressively thinned and broken up
in order to allow heathland communities to re-establish under well-spaced
trees. All scrub management works take place between late September and
mid February.
Scattered European gorse bushes are an important component o f dry heath
communities. As part of scrub management fifty per cent of all gorse bushes
should be coppiced to ensure there is a good mix of tight and leggy bushes.
Large blocks of gorse should be broken up and managed by coppicing them
using a scrub-master or where possible a flail collector.
In order to achieve and maintain favourable condition it is necessary to ensure
that there are areas of bare ground and early successional habitat, and that
there is a good structural and age mosaic within the dwarf s hrub communities.
It is also necessary to remove nutrients from the site in order to prevent
eutrophication. Heather cutting, turf stripping and controlled burning can
achieve these objectives. Small irregular areas should be cut in blocks of
mature and degenerate heather using a flail collector, forage harvester or
reciprocal cutter, with material being removed from site. Cut heather should
be allowed to recover (for 2-3 years) then 25-50% should be turf stripped and
turfs removed from site. All works should take place between late September
and mid February – the exception being sand lizard (Feature 8) sites were
heather and turf cutting be carried out by hand and should take place in
April/May.
As heather units reach the late building stage (10-14 years) a single controlled
winter burn should be carried out over roughly 50% of each area during a
period of suitable conditions when the ground is wet and there is no risk of the
fire spreading. A firebreak should be cut around the burn site and sufficient
staff and fire fighting equipment must be present to ensure the fire does not
spread. This management should not be undertaken near roads or power
lines or on lichen rich areas.
Foliar treatment of bracken with Asulam will be undertaken on heathland
areas during July with a minimum dosage of 2.2 kg/ha.
As far as is possible arisings from management such as timber, brash,
woodchip, heather cuttings and turves should be used in a sustainable
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