Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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Some birds, amphibians and many fish species do not depend specifically on fens for breeding or foraging, but are found in some of the habitats which tend to be associated with fens, such as wet woodland, ditches and ponds. 2.2 Fen flora Perhaps the most widely-recognised fen vegetation type is that associated with floodplain fens such as the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads and Wicken Fen where tall, flower-rich vegetation is characterised by common reed (Phragmites australis), tall sedges (Carex spp.), purple and yellow loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria and Lysimachia vulgaris), and yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus). Distinctive and rare species such as marsh pea (Lathyrus palustris) and milk-parsley (Peucedanum palustre), the food-plant of the swallowtail butterfly (Papilio machaon), are found in this type of fen, intermingled with blunt-flowered rush (Juncus subnodulosus), hemp agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum), fen bedstraw (Galium uliginosum) and angelica (Angelica sylvestris). Often the most species-rich tall-herb fens are mown on a rotational basis or lightly grazed; this management maintains ideal conditions for the typical orchids of fens such as the rare fen orchid (Liparis loeslii), early marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata), fragrant orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea ssp. densiflora) and marsh helleborine (Epipactis palustris). 16 Corbally Fen in County Down Northern Ireland, which is part of the Lecale Fens SAC (P. Corbett). From a distance, or to the untrained eye, this small inter-drumlin fen may not look particularly exciting, but closer inspection reveals the profusion of flora fens such as this support, including colourful carpets of ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) as pictured below (B.Hamill).
Part of Cropple How Mire in Cumbria, a northern tall-herb fen with common angelica, water horsetail, purple loosestrife and yellow iris. This section of the site lies in a basin, downslope of a springfed, nutrient-poor acidic fen, and occasionally receives floodwater from the River Esk, providing the nutrients necessary to support taller vegetation. Marsh helleborine (P. Corbett) – found in open areas of tall fen at Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk. 17
Page 1 and 2: The Fen Management Handbook Edited
Page 3 and 4: Acknowledgements Production of the
Page 5 and 6: 1. Introduction and Basic Principle
Page 7 and 8: Estimates of the original coverage
Page 9 and 10: Guiding principles for fen manageme
Page 11 and 12: Section 12: Fens from an Economic P
Page 13: 2.1 Diversity and conservation sign
Page 17 and 18: The moss flora of base-rich springs
Page 19 and 20: Bog bean growing in a transitional
Page 21 and 22: Mesotrophic openwater transition fe
Page 23 and 24: Water shrews (Neomys fodiens), also
Page 25 and 26: 2.4.1 Vegetated margins of open wat
Page 27 and 28: 2.4.3 Grazed or cut fen in floodpla
Page 29 and 30: 2.6 Amphibians Amphibians are depen
Page 31 and 32: The mud snail Omphiscola glabra (12
Page 33 and 34: Old trees and dead wood Continuous
Page 35 and 36: Vascular plants Flat-sedge Blysmus
Page 37 and 38: 3. Understanding Fen Hydrology Quan
Page 39 and 40: Groundwater discharge to fens is us
Page 41 and 42: Water Table 3.4.1.4 Spring fed fen
Page 43 and 44: 3.5 Factors determining fen type 3.
Page 45 and 46: - Flooding - frequency and magnitud
Page 47 and 48: 3.7 Further information and advice
Page 49 and 50: Groundwater inflow. Groundwater lev
Page 51 and 52: It is likely that groundwater disch
Page 53 and 54: Case Study 3.3 Hydro(geo)logical im
Page 55 and 56: 4. Understanding Fen Nutrients Nutr
Page 57 and 58: nutrients. For example, at high con
Page 59 and 60: 4.2.1 Groundwater and surface water
Page 61 and 62: 4.2.3 Point and diffuse sources of
Page 63 and 64: Area of acute nutrient enrichment o
Page 65 and 66:
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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- The fauna which inhabit the fen c
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- Prioritise objectives to achieve
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inundation are less likely to be sp
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5.13 References Barsoum, N., Anders
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Case Study 5.2 Fen Management and R
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- 14km of livestock fencing install
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Case Study 5.3 Fen Management and R
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6. Fen Management and Restoration -
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Both the benefits and potentially l
Page 103 and 104:
Cattle forced by flooding to the ed
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At low/medium stocking density, cat
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Goats have narrow muzzles and a fle
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Fens usually feature a range of dif
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Excessive poaching where cattle hav
Page 113 and 114:
extensive areas of wetlands which w
Page 115 and 116:
‘Soft track’ machines, such as
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The design of the pipeline allows f
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Protocol for burning standing reedb
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Long rotation scrub clearance may b
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‘Bird-eye’ and incineration A t
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6.7 Restoring fen meadow Many forme
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Current Management The current mana
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Case Study 6.2 Fen Vegetation Manag
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species diversity of wetland passer
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The temptation to burn large areas
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Outcomes In the eight years that th
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Anglesey sites is now underway supp
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Close grazed short sward of sedges
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Turf cutting Turf cutting has been
Page 143 and 144:
7.1 A framework to assist decision
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Surface water level change e.g. - a
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and the surface to acidify, resulti
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Smaller excavations are preferable
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Morton Lochs, which extend to appro
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Although shallow excavations are pr
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At Leighton Moss in Lancashire, are
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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
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Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
8. Managing Fen Nutrient Enrichment
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Summary table of key techniques for
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8.2 Managing the source of nutrient
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Marginal interceptor ditch at Cors
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8.3.4 Bund creation In some cases i
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emoval or soil stripping, both of w
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8.5 Monitoring nutrient reduction D
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Recent photo of stripped surface sh
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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
Page 305 and 306:
Sensitive periods Species breed wit
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Great Crested Newt Great crested ne
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Appendix VIII - Fen management for
Page 311 and 312:
Mollusca (snails, slugs and mussels
Page 313 and 314:
Other than for rare or exceptional
Page 315 and 316:
There is usually some degree of sub
Page 317 and 318:
Management requirements for protect
Page 319 and 320:
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
Page 327 and 328:
Index A access 103, 110, 190, 226,
Page 329:
cutting 114 disposal 117 management
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Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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