Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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138 Case Study 6.5 Fen Vegetation Management – Anglesey Fens The Anglesey Fens SAC is a complex of six basin and valley-head rich-fen systems located in the Carboniferous Limestone Region of central Anglesey. The component sites range in size from a few ha to over 250 ha and support a range of plant communities referable to the Annex I types alkaline fen and calcareous fen with Cladium mariscus and species of the Caricion davallianae, as well as areas of base-enriched fen meadow referable to the Eu-Molinion (NVC community M24) and other calcareous types (notably M22). Of particular importance is the quality and range of M13 seepage communities dominated by black bog-rush (Schoenus nigricans); other key features include areas of open sedge- and brown-mossrich vegetation, sometimes with great fen-sedge (Cladium mariscus), and less base-enriched vegetation dominated by Cladium with purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea), blunt-flowered rush (Juncus subnodulosus), bog myrtle (Myrica gale) and a range of ericoids referable to the non-NVC Cladio-Molinietum. Cors Goch, Anglesey, the most intact of the Anglesey Fens (Pete Jones). Past management Little detail is known about the past management of the Anglesey Fens, but it’s certain that all were utilised much more extensively in the past than has been the case during the last three decades. All of the larger sites have been heavily cutover for peat and it is likely that this has resulted in the loss of ombrogenous or near-ombrogenous surfaces on at least one site and also expanded the influence of calcareous seepage water across all sites. All sites would have been utilised for grazing, mainly in the summer, and winter/spring burns were frequent to provide a seasonal bite of vegetation. Extensive drainage was also undertaken, especially in the case of the larger sites and was sufficiently intensive to allow some conversion of habitat to agricultural grassland. After designation as SSSI, three sites were acquired by conservation bodies (CCW and the North Wales Wildlife Trust) and designated as NNR. The initial emphasis was on repairing the worst effects of drainage. Efforts to secure effective grazing proved much less successful away from the NNRs and management neglect has been a dominant feature of the site series. Together with the rich-fens of the Lleyn Peninsula, restoration work on the
Anglesey sites is now underway supported by CCW and EU LIFE+ funding, with contributions from Environment Agency Wales and Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water. Derelict ungrazed M13 at Cors Bodeilio Common – Schoenus nigricans forms an overwhelmingly dominant cover (Pete Jones). M13 at Cors Bodeilio NNR kept open by wetness and grazing (Pete Jones). 139
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The Fen Management Handbook Edited
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Acknowledgements Production of the
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1. Introduction and Basic Principle
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Estimates of the original coverage
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Guiding principles for fen manageme
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Section 12: Fens from an Economic P
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2.1 Diversity and conservation sign
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Part of Cropple How Mire in Cumbria
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The moss flora of base-rich springs
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Bog bean growing in a transitional
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Mesotrophic openwater transition fe
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Water shrews (Neomys fodiens), also
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2.4.1 Vegetated margins of open wat
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2.4.3 Grazed or cut fen in floodpla
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2.6 Amphibians Amphibians are depen
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The mud snail Omphiscola glabra (12
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Old trees and dead wood Continuous
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Vascular plants Flat-sedge Blysmus
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3. Understanding Fen Hydrology Quan
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Groundwater discharge to fens is us
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Water Table 3.4.1.4 Spring fed fen
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3.5 Factors determining fen type 3.
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- Flooding - frequency and magnitud
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3.7 Further information and advice
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Groundwater inflow. Groundwater lev
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It is likely that groundwater disch
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Case Study 3.3 Hydro(geo)logical im
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4. Understanding Fen Nutrients Nutr
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nutrients. For example, at high con
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4.2.1 Groundwater and surface water
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4.2.3 Point and diffuse sources of
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Area of acute nutrient enrichment o
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4.4 Classifying water chemistry usi
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4.6 Identifying nutrient enrichment
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Negative indicator species for diff
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Many of the floristic changes which
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Case Study 4.1 Understanding Fen Nu
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5.1 Why do fens need management? In
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5.2 Checklist of key stages in deci
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5.3.3 Scale Although fens are linke
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5.4 Site survey to establish what i
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variability and how these relate to
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Page 87 and 88: - Prioritise objectives to achieve
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Page 91 and 92: 5.13 References Barsoum, N., Anders
Page 93 and 94: Case Study 5.2 Fen Management and R
Page 95 and 96: - 14km of livestock fencing install
Page 97 and 98: Case Study 5.3 Fen Management and R
Page 99 and 100: 6. Fen Management and Restoration -
Page 101 and 102: Both the benefits and potentially l
Page 103 and 104: Cattle forced by flooding to the ed
Page 105 and 106: At low/medium stocking density, cat
Page 107 and 108: Goats have narrow muzzles and a fle
Page 109 and 110: Fens usually feature a range of dif
Page 111 and 112: Excessive poaching where cattle hav
Page 113 and 114: extensive areas of wetlands which w
Page 115 and 116: ‘Soft track’ machines, such as
Page 117 and 118: The design of the pipeline allows f
Page 119 and 120: Protocol for burning standing reedb
Page 121 and 122: Long rotation scrub clearance may b
Page 123 and 124: ‘Bird-eye’ and incineration A t
Page 125 and 126: 6.7 Restoring fen meadow Many forme
Page 127 and 128: Current Management The current mana
Page 129 and 130: Case Study 6.2 Fen Vegetation Manag
Page 131 and 132: species diversity of wetland passer
Page 133 and 134: The temptation to burn large areas
Page 135: Outcomes In the eight years that th
Page 139 and 140: Close grazed short sward of sedges
Page 141 and 142: Turf cutting Turf cutting has been
Page 143 and 144: 7.1 A framework to assist decision
Page 145 and 146: Surface water level change e.g. - a
Page 147 and 148: and the surface to acidify, resulti
Page 149 and 150: Smaller excavations are preferable
Page 151 and 152: Morton Lochs, which extend to appro
Page 153 and 154: Although shallow excavations are pr
Page 155 and 156: At Leighton Moss in Lancashire, are
Page 157 and 158: Excavating spoil within the area to
Page 159 and 160: uilt dams can only be formed in dit
Page 161 and 162: Case Study 7.1 Fen Water Management
Page 169 and 170: 8. Managing Fen Nutrient Enrichment
Page 171 and 172: Summary table of key techniques for
Page 173 and 174: 8.2 Managing the source of nutrient
Page 175 and 176: Marginal interceptor ditch at Cors
Page 177 and 178: 8.3.4 Bund creation In some cases i
Page 179 and 180: emoval or soil stripping, both of w
Page 181 and 182: 8.5 Monitoring nutrient reduction D
Page 183 and 184: Recent photo of stripped surface sh
Page 185 and 186: 9.1 Scope for fen creation The Grea
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9.3 What type of fen? New fens can
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9.5 Restraints on fen creation Plan
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9.6 Check list of issues to conside
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9.7 Site assessment Planning and de
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LIDAR maps can provide a general un
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generally more acidic than silts an
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Site visits and careful assessment
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9.8.4 Plastic membranes On sites wi
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Use of seed bombs ‘Seed bombs’
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Experience has shown that the most
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9.10.2 Creation of niches for plant
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Meade, R. & Wheeler, B.D. 2007. Rai
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- On-going measurement of the effec
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with appropriate training. Providin
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10.3 Biological monitoring techniqu
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Undesirable species for key NVC com
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10.3.3 Vegetation Mapping An initia
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It is good practise to record with
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10.4 Biological monitoring techniqu
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for Ornithology, the Bat Conservati
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Box 2: Construction, installation a
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10.8 Monitoring surface water flows
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- Phytometric tests measure how wel
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Storage of data and information on
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period, simply because it is design
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Another consideration is the likely
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11.1 An historical perspective Poll
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Inviting volunteer involvement in f
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11.3.3 Stakeholders ‘Stakeholders
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have been designated under access a
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11.6.4 Boardwalks Boardwalks are no
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11.6.5 Water borne access Waterways
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- Explore opportunities to stimulat
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Case Study 11.1 Fens and people - S
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Case Study 11.2 Fens and People - H
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12. Fens from an Economic Perspecti
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12.1.3 Biomass energy and Biofuels
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12.2 Environmental regulation 12.2.
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the peat carbon store is depleted t
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Another mechanism for funding wetla
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Whitlaw Mosses in Scotland (see det
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12.8 References Dickie, I., Hughes,
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Nitrogen fixation conversion of gas
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Appendix III - List of species refe
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Table 1 - Mammal species associated
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280 Bittern Botaurus stellaris All
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Grasshopper Warbler 282 Locustella
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Table 4 - Fish species associated w
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Table 5 - Legally protected inverte
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288 Community Topogenous fens S24 P
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290 Community S8 Scirpus lacustris
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292 Community M11 Carex demissa - S
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294 Community M23 Juncus effusus /
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Appendix V - Legal and regulatory c
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298 Type of Works Guidance for UK C
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Appendix VI - Fen management for br
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However, three of the four species
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Sensitive periods Harvest mice bree
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species like bittern, and then drop
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Sensitive periods Species breed wit
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Great Crested Newt Great crested ne
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Appendix VIII - Fen management for
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Mollusca (snails, slugs and mussels
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Other than for rare or exceptional
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There is usually some degree of sub
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Management requirements for protect
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Appendix IX - Further reading Secti
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Koerselman, W., Bakker, S.A. & Blom
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Section 5: Fen Management and Resto
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Patzelt, A, Wild, U. and Jörg Pfad
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Index A access 103, 110, 190, 226,
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cutting 114 disposal 117 management
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Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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