Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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establish. The use of nurse crops is fraught with problems as plants suited to initial establishment tend to persist as strong components of the vegetation. Examples are reed canary grass and reedmace which will colonise silty nutritious substrates, but continue to dominate for many years if nutrients are available. An alternative is to use non-wetland plants, but this requires ability to control water levels precisely, gradually flooding the area once stabilised. 210 On cut-over fen peatlands in Minnesota it was found that a cover crop made up of a mixture of oat (40%), winter wheat (40%) and annual ryegrass (20%) increased the rate of establishment of fen plants significantly on bare peat (Johnson & Valppu 2003). 9.10.5 Weed competition Where previous land use was agricultural, short-term colonisation by weedy species may have to be accepted as a phase which the fen will go through. Given time, the excess nutrients will usually be mopped up by the vegetation and soil, and a more stable fen community will develop. On newly created fen sites where arable weeds threaten to outcompete desirable fen species, herbicide such as glyphosate may be required. Approval is needed prior to herbicide use in or near water. Disturbing the soil surface before seeding can stimulate the germination of arable weeds. This can significantly reduce the growth of competing species but there is no guarantee that the same species will not subsequently germinate later if the soil is disturbed. 9.11 Post establishment management Management is not usually required in the first year after establishment, but thereafter most vegetation will require some management to avoid accumulation of dead leaf litter which will reduce opportunities for colonisation by smaller fen species. Plans should be put in place before the fen is created for the introduction of appropriate grazing and cutting regimes, for scrub control (see Section 6: Fen Vegetation Management) and for control of water levels (see Section 7: Fen Water Management). Replacement of sown or planted target species may be necessary where there has been excessive loss due to intensive grazing by livestock, birds or other wild animals. 9.12 References Amon, J.P., Jacobson, C.S. & Shelley, M.L. 2005. Construction of fens with and without hydric soils. Ecological Engineering 24, 341-357. Galatowitsch, S., Budelsky, R.& Yetka, L. 1999. Revegetation strategies for northern temperate glacial marshes and meadows. In: W. Streever (ed.) An International Perspective on Wetland Rehabilitation, pp. 225-241. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Garbisch, E.W. 2005. Hableton Island restoration: Environmental Concern’s first wetland creation project. Ecological Engineering 24, 289-307. Johnson, K.W. & Valppu, S.H. 2003. Fen restoration final project report. Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota, Duluth.
Meade, R. & Wheeler, B.D. 2007. Raised bogs from gravel pits? In: Minerals extraction and wetland creation, Proceedings of a workshop held in Doncaster 26-27 September, 2005 (eds. R. Meade & N. Humphries). pp. 41- 49. Natural England. Rasran, L., Vogt, K. and Jensen, K. 2006. Seed content and conservation evaluation of hay material of fen grasslands. Journal for Nature Conservation 14(1), 34-45 Roberts, A. & Elliott, G. 2007. The Hanson – RSPB wetland project. In: Minerals extraction and wetland creation, Proceedings of a workshop held in Doncaster 26-27 September, 2005 (eds. R. Meade & N. Humphries). pp. 31- 34. Natural England. Rodwell, J.S. (Ed.), 1995. British Plant Communities. Aquatic Communities, Swamps and Tall-herb Fens, vol. 4. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Sliva, J. & Pfadenhauer, J. 1999. Restoration of cut-over raised bogs in southern Germany: a comparison of methods. Applied Vegetation Science 2: 137- 148. White, G. & Gilbert, J. 2003. Habitat creation handbook for the minerals industry. RSPB, Sandy. 211
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
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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
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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
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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
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
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: 9.10.2 Creation of niches for plant
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
Page 233 and 234: Storage of data and information on
Page 235 and 236: period, simply because it is design
Page 237 and 238: Another consideration is the likely
Page 239 and 240: 11.1 An historical perspective Poll
Page 241 and 242: Inviting volunteer involvement in f
Page 243 and 244: 11.3.3 Stakeholders ‘Stakeholders
Page 245 and 246: have been designated under access a
Page 247 and 248: 11.6.4 Boardwalks Boardwalks are no
Page 249 and 250: 11.6.5 Water borne access Waterways
Page 251 and 252: - Explore opportunities to stimulat
Page 253 and 254: Case Study 11.1 Fens and people - S
Page 255 and 256: Case Study 11.2 Fens and People - H
Page 257 and 258: 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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