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traditlonaly for rough grazing, forest~y, watcr oat- and recr*e3t%m,
so their uao conaerna the geneml. public as well as landawnera and
mnagers, particularly now as increased use of timber and high timber
prices are encouraging the spread of comercia1 forestry, soci-econcmLo
factors are favoudng changes in hill-farmhg and public pressurn on hill
land is increasing,
=th the above background, this paper has three mh 8ime. first, to
sumarise the effgcts on so51 in gensral of the win types of land-use
ad manag8mn-b found or likely to be found in the mure in the Lake
District and to indicate tksir relevance to the soils of the area.
Second, to compare the effects of the mjn Itznd-uses, prticularly
CU-farmjxlg and foreatry. Third, 4s a basis for f'uture ma-h,
to identie those aspects for mhioh relevant data are lacldng.
Effects of arasiw animla
Wny au-bhots, Coppmk & Cole- (I 970), Darling (1955), Hart (4 968),
~cVeak & Loclde (1 969), Pearsall (1950), Pearsall & PeMtrgton (1931,
Tivy (1973), tend to regard free-grazing aheep as harmtul to hill soils
and ~e~tation anti hold the view that,by thefr selective close grazw,
sheep suppress aL1 but the ccarsest plants such as mt-grass, Nardus
stlicta, 8nd --rush, ' ~uncus aquarrosus, and by their treadhg they
_I
deatroy vegetation oover and thereby increaae the EkeEhocd of 8-dl
eroeion.
meep are also said to ooaplact the soil thus reduo*
aeration, waf; ~r absorption aid dulat ion of nut dents , The culling
of the flock is said to depbte meas of nutrients, parkioularly baaed,
and thus to aocelerate the natural trend towards acidity h areas of high
rainfall.
for conv-ence
together,
Clearly, Pvany of these ideas apply also to hi11 cattle ao
we mill cms'ider the ef'fecta of aheep snd oattle
a) Ef feot s of the animal hod
The diwct effaat of tmadbg varies with the hmf ares, the pressure
exertea, the number of t-s,
an@ the way in which the hoof ia appxed