Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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3.5.4 Water storage and release The type, extent and distribution of fens are also determined by the physical properties of rock and soil. Water passes quickly through coarse sediments, but only slowly, if at all, through fine ones, such as clay. Hydrologists refer to three distinct types of geology in relation to: – aquifers which hold a large capacity and through which water can pass freely; – aquitards through which water can pass very slowly; – aquicludes which act as a seal against water movement. 3.5.5 Nutrients The plant nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are another factor determining the type of fen vegetation. The nutrient status gives rise to another series of descriptors – oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic – for low, medium and high nutrient situations respectively. Some eutrophic fens are entirely natural, such as in the lower catchments of rivers where water is naturally enriched compared to the upper reaches. Others are enriched by sewage and nutrient runoff where the natural situation would be oligotrophic or mesotrophic. Section 4 Understanding Fen Nutrients explains fen nutrient enrichment in more detail. 3.5.6 Land management Grazing and/or cutting vegetation strongly influences species composition and structure of fens. If carried out regularly, grazing or cutting can counteract the unwanted effects of nutrient enrichment by preventing rank species from overgrowing and replacing those less able to compete. Section 6: Fen Vegetation Management discusses grazing and other fen vegetation management techniques. 3.6 Assessing current hydrological regime At the simplest level, current hydrological regime can be assessed by observations made during site visits. For example, recording the wetness of the ground underfoot, using a spade or hand-auger to establish the depth of the water table below ground surface, recording the number of days a floodplain site is under water, or recording the number of over-bank flooding events and their effects on the site. More detailed or higher level assessment of the hydrological regime requires more technical monitoring of key hydrological parameters using specialist instruments. This subject is covered in detail in Section 10: Monitoring to Inform Fen Management. The most important hydrological characteristics for fens are: – Soil water level (in relation to ground surface). Most often defined as maximum and minimum elevations, which vary through the year, or over longer time periods. Optimal soil water level conditions for the establishment and growth of seedlings (and other life-cycle stages) vary between species. Tolerance of above ground water level or complete inundation also varies. For example, protracted and/or deep winter flooding is not favourable for alkaline fen habitats. 46
– Flooding – frequency and magnitude. Some habitats, such as wet woodland, are dependent on surface water flooding over a range of frequencies and magnitudes. Lower frequency – higher magnitude events are important for creating regeneration niches, whilst higher frequency - lower magnitude events are important for replenishment of sediment deposits. – Flooding – timing/seasonality. Many species are vulnerable to flooding during the establishment stage of their life cycle. – Water quality. Rich-fens (pH >5.5) and poor-fens (pH
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 and 14: 2.1 Diversity and conservation sign
Page 15 and 16: Part of Cropple How Mire in Cumbria
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: 3.5 Factors determining fen type 3.
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
Page 67 and 68: 4.6 Identifying nutrient enrichment
Page 69 and 70: Negative indicator species for diff
Page 71 and 72: Many of the floristic changes which
Page 73 and 74: Case Study 4.1 Understanding Fen Nu
Page 75 and 76: 5.1 Why do fens need management? In
Page 77 and 78: 5.2 Checklist of key stages in deci
Page 79 and 80: 5.3.3 Scale Although fens are linke
Page 81 and 82: 5.4 Site survey to establish what i
Page 83 and 84: variability and how these relate to
Page 85 and 86: - The fauna which inhabit the fen c
Page 87 and 88: - Prioritise objectives to achieve
Page 89 and 90: inundation are less likely to be sp
Page 91 and 92: 5.13 References Barsoum, N., Anders
Page 93 and 94: 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
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Excavating spoil within the area to
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uilt dams can only be formed in dit
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Case Study 7.1 Fen Water Management
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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
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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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