Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

Excessive poaching where
cattle have congregated
and ranged along a fence
line, exacerbated by a
blocked drain. Poaching
like this exposing more
than 80% bare soil allows
colonisation by weedy
species and recovery may
take several years
(A. McBride).
Established and dense swards are more resilient to hoof damage than swards which
are open or newly established.
Localised temporary
poaching photographed
the day after stock were
removed for the winter. This
route is regularly tracked by
sheep accessing different
parts of the wetland.
Although muddy, there is
no standing water and the
vegetation quickly recovers
(A. McBride).
Close-up of the poached
area pictured above taken
the following spring,
showing good recovery
from poaching
(A. McBride).
As a general guide, stock should be removed when 10% of bare soil is visible across
the surface area of a representative sample of the vegetation of the grazed area(s).
Localised poaching caused
by sheep. This is not
currently affecting the main
part of the fen, but is a
warning of the need to start
thinking about removing or
reducing stock numbers on
the site to allow vegetation
recovery. If stock remain on
the site too long, recovery
will be slow and could
encourage weedy species
(A. McBride).
113