Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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184 Case Study 8.1 <strong>Fen</strong> Nutrient <strong>Management</strong> – Large-scale turf stripping at Cors Geirch, Lleyn Peninsula, North West Wales. Cors Geirch is the largest of the Corsydd Llyn rich-fen SAC and comprises an extensive valley-head fen system fed by groundwater discharge from adjacent calcareous sands and gravels. The site supports 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. It is surrounded by improved agricultural grassland, with some agricultural improvement spreading onto the relatively shallow fen peats. In 1993 landscaping of a nearby refuse tip created a demand for local top soil and thus an opportunity to strip peat from an enriched rush-dominated pasture on modified fen peat which had been included in a recent habitat restoration potential study (Shaw & Wheeler, 1992). Peat removal at Cors Geirch in 1993. (Les Colley) Over the course of two weeks, contractors removed the top 30 cm of the agriculturally modified peat profile from an area of 5.5 ha and transported it from the fen basin to the nearest highway using a specially constructed temporary mat and timber road. The substantial volume of peat involved (c. 16,500 m3) would at the time have been very difficult to re-use within the site (for example as part of ditch blocking or bunding operations) and its use for nearby landscaping provided both the means for its disposal and the actual funding for the project. Subsequently, a series of nearby springs and seeps were diverted to flow onto the excavated surface. Vegetation recovery has been monitored and showed the rapid disappearance of residual ryegrass Lolium perenne and the development of a series of initially poor-fen communities with elements of M29 and M9a with Carex lasiocarpa on the wetter soaks, mixed fen–meadow on the drier peats and acid grassland and heath on the driest mineral soils. The appearance of Drosera intermedia on exposed peat was unexpected and may have been unintentionally introduced. Long term management of the scrape has included control of invading willow and grazing. Jones & Colley (2004) provide a detailed description of the project.
Recent photo of stripped surface showing pony grazing at edge of M29 runnel. (Les Colley) This approach can be extremely successful and result in the rapid rejuvenation of enriched and agriculturally modified fen surfaces. References Jones, D.V. & Colley, L. (2004). Restoring the fens at Cors Geirch. Natur Cymru, No. 11, 17-21. Shaw, S.C. & Wheeler, B.D. (1992). Cors Geirch. Potential for the restoration of a wetland reclaimed for agriculture. Report to the Countryside Council for Wales. Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield. 185
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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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- 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
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extensive areas of wetlands which w
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‘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
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 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: 8.5 Monitoring nutrient reduction D
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
Page 215 and 216: 10.3 Biological monitoring techniqu
Page 217 and 218: Undesirable species for key NVC com
Page 219 and 220: 10.3.3 Vegetation Mapping An initia
Page 221 and 222: It is good practise to record with
Page 223 and 224: 10.4 Biological monitoring techniqu
Page 225 and 226: for Ornithology, the Bat Conservati
Page 227 and 228: Box 2: Construction, installation a
Page 229 and 230: 10.8 Monitoring surface water flows
Page 231 and 232: - 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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