Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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(b) Felling and removal The scrub was cut at surface level using hand-held chainsaws and winched to the boundary using a 3psi SoftTrack vehicle with PTO driven winch. Chipping was carried out using a low ground pressure grab and chipper, blown into tracked dumpers, and removed off site. All vehicles were custom made by/for the contractors. Density of scrub was 100 tonne/ha. (c) Regrowth of willow and alder 25% of stumps showed signs of regrowth. These were freshly cut with a chainsaw and the surface painted with glyphosate. In some cases, the stumps were also drilled and injected. Monitoring and review of outcomes Base line surveys of invertebrates and vegetation in the first year after scrub removal were postponed due to persistent flooding. Maintaining sward diversity – Disturbance of the sward surface resulted in local soft rush (Juncus effusus) colonisation. The initial diversity of low growing herb flora was threatened by the dominance of reed canary grass. Suppression of this tall herb fen by grazing has proved very effective using Konik ponies. Currently grazing is at 0.75lu/ha but periods of grazing can be short due to flood conditions. Raising water levels locally – De-designation and damming of the main drain separating the fen from the wet meadows has isolated the adjacent area from the eutrophic effects of the lough. Widening, re-profiling and adding a second bund has created a fresh-water storage body that also raises water levels locally. The influence of this will create conditions suitable for the establishment of fen vegetation at the edge of the wet grassland. Plans for the future NIEA’s target is to achieve moderate water quality (currently bad) by 2016. Pools and scrapes will be created within the fen area to increase biodiversity. Stump grinding may facilitate mowing in the future. Feasibility of creating a differential age structure within the reedbed has been successfully tested using a Truxor reed cutting boat. A SoftTrack machine has been acquired. 166
Case Study 7.3 Fen Water Management – New Forest Mires / Stony Moors New Forest mires have elements which are typical of both bogs and fens. The variation in vegetation composition is attributable to acidity and water regimes, determined by underlying soils, hydrology, nutrient status, and management particularly grazing and burning pressure. The New Forest supports approximately 2000 hectares of mire habitats, the structural variation is very wide and each mire system is unique (SAC Management Plan). Since the mid-19th century more than 70% of the New Forest mires have been drained. This was either to further the establishment of trees in enclosures or to reduce the water table and thereby ‘improve’ grazing on the Open Forest. These activities varied greatly in scale, impacts on the habitats, and in their primary purpose. New Forest peat is thin and rarely in excess of 2 m. This makes them particularly vulnerable to damage from artificial drainage, causing rapid headward erosion and lateral peat slumping. The botanical diversity is attributed to the alkaline seepage in contact with an underlying clay layer (Headon Beds). By contrast upstream, the acidic influence of plateau gravels gives rise to permanently waterlogged, nutrient poor acidic peat. It supports Sphagnum mosses with other bog species such as bog asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum), common cotton grass and white-beak sedge (Rhynchospora alba). ‘Soakways’ exist along natural drainage runnels of valley bogs which are dominated by marsh St John’s wort (Hypericum elodes) and bog pondweed (Potamogeton polygonifolius). Stony Moors Stony Moors (23 ha) supports fen and mire habitats well-known for their botanical diversity, largely attributable to the base-rich influence of the underlying clay, which is particularly obvious along the valley spring-line where seepage mires exhibit a rare and characteristic marl flush community. Lime rich marl flushes, (pH around 7.0 or higher) support characteristic species including Eleocharis quinqueflora, the brown moss Palustriella commutata, and the abundant brown moss Scorpidium revolvens (Sanderson 1998). At Stony Moors there was clear evidence of past drainage activities with incised channels, headward erosion and localised spoil heaps. The drainage was likely to have been 1930’s in origin, with some further works associated with the construction of Holmsley Aerodrome in 1941-42. It is likely that soon after drainage the drop in water table caused peat to oxidize releasing nutrients, thereby providing temporary benefits to grazing livestock through increased productivity. However, soon after this initial flush tree species such as willow, birch and pine were able to colonise the degraded mire surface. As a result of this past drainage, secondary woodland has been able to colonise parts of the mire and fen system and associated stream corridor. Management objectives In 2005 the Forestry Commission undertook to restore this mire as part of the LIFE 3 Sustainable Wetland Restoration Project. Following significant consultation it was agreed to fell the recent secondary woodland that was encroaching the mire surface and to restore the mire by completely infilling the eroding drainage channel. 167
Page 1 and 2:
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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- 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
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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
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 and 136: Outcomes In the eight years that th
Page 137 and 138: Anglesey sites is now underway supp
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 163: Case Study 7.2 Fen Water Management
Page 167 and 168: Case Study 7.4 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
Page 187 and 188: 9.3 What type of fen? New fens can
Page 189 and 190: 9.5 Restraints on fen creation Plan
Page 191 and 192: 9.6 Check list of issues to conside
Page 193 and 194: 9.7 Site assessment Planning and de
Page 195 and 196: LIDAR maps can provide a general un
Page 197 and 198: generally more acidic than silts an
Page 199 and 200: Site visits and careful assessment
Page 201 and 202: 9.8.4 Plastic membranes On sites wi
Page 203 and 204: Use of seed bombs ‘Seed bombs’
Page 205 and 206: Experience has shown that the most
Page 207 and 208: 9.10.2 Creation of niches for plant
Page 209 and 210: Meade, R. & Wheeler, B.D. 2007. Rai
Page 211 and 212: - On-going measurement of the effec
Page 213 and 214: 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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