Norma Saunders, Chief Executive Officer of The Sherwood Forest TrustChair of Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group

Lowland Heathland in Nottinghamshire: Progress towards the LBAP

The Seed of an ideaThe Lowland Heathland Local Habitat Action plan was produced

in 1998;

90% of Notts. heathland has been lost since 1922

Britain has lost 75% since 1800 but still has 15% of Europe’s remaining lowland heathland. This is of International importance.

NBGRC has evidence of a heathland SINC destroyed and another damaged in the last 10 yearsHeather spreading Ollerton Assarts

Partnership Working• The large Dukeries estates

• Private landowners

• Statutory bodies such as The Forestry Commission and local councils, have large land holdings and dedicated resources

• Local charities such as Notts. Wildlife Trust and The Sherwood Forest Trust

• Local community involvement and education led by The Sherwood Forest Trust and including NWT, NCC education team, the NT, Friends of groups, Notts LBAP and others

• The Sherwood Forest Trust’s Sherwood Initiative created and managed the biggest area partnership of its kind in the Country, one feature was it’s programme of heathland work at a landscape level.

Definitions

• Creation: Habitat not known to have been present within recent years

•Re-creation occurs on sites where habitat once existed but has been lost

• Restoration moves relic sites into favourable condition to qualify as lowland heathland

• Achieve condition, to manage existing resourceto maintain/improve

• Maintain extent of all existing lowland heathland

Community involvement on Sherwood Heath: SFT and Community Rangers

Heathland Resource in Notts• 1998…250ha in existence

• Target: “increase” by 200ha by 2005, 500ha by 2010, 500ha by 2015

• Have in management/ achieve condition 338ha in 2005 (45% of existing habitat in favourable condition), 600ha in 2010 (80% of total habitat resource), 750ha in 2015 (100% 0f 2005 baseline resource)

• Maintain extent: 2005=750ha, 2010=750ha, 2015=1750ha

• Forum members have helped to contribute to the target. • Between 2002-7 the SFT restored and managed 819ha and created 115haand aim to restore and manage 150ha and create 300 between 2007-12…achieved to date 2009…30.5ha created, 31ha restored.

Targeting Work

Example of Heathland register

Sources of FundingEnglish Nature funded capital heathland management and restoration, bracken and scrub control work. In 1998 206ha of Sherwood’s 250ha heathland had Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) Agreements.

Now Natural England offers Higher Level Stewardship Schemes. HLStargets lowland heathland creation/restoration. By having it on their land or

committing to manage it, landowners gain points to access the fund.

Forestry Commission’s English Woodland Grant Scheme is piloting a Woodland Birds project targeting species of biodiversity concern in Notts. Open habitats within woods are encouraged with acid grass heath where appropriate, for woodlark and nightjar.

AchievementsMost County SSSI heathland is managed appropriately now or restored to more favourable condition. Natural England reports:

• 2 CSS agreements

3.56ha maintaining existing lowland heath

4.54ha enhanced management of existing heath

• 3 other significant CSS agreements have expired with plans to replace them with HLS

• 5 existing HLS agreements with heathland options:

10.24ha maintenance of lowland heath

161.26ha restoration of lowland heath on neglected site

31.18ha forest site restored to lowland heath

• 2 HLS agreements introducing native breed grazing on heath = 157ha

InvolvementAll sectors have been involved in heathland restoration:

• charities, notably SFT and NWT

Many of the projects have been funded, managed and coordinated through the Sherwood Forest Trust

• private landowners, large and small

• statutory bodies, Forestry Commission and local authorities

The first stop shop for guidance for heathland work in Notts.is via the LBAP

• The NBGRC is vital depository for species data.

The Sherwood Forest Trust, between 2002-2007 with The Sherwood Initiative and now moving forwards through our new work programmes, restored and created heathland and improved the habitat through:

substantial payments, site management, specialist advice, training, events, provision of the Sherwood Habitats Forum, community involvement activities, our heathland golf course programme and landscape level co-ordination.

Sherwood heathland panorama

• Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, with funding from Tomorrow’s Heathland Heritage has been successful with the Coversands project, encompassingthe blown sands area of heathland in East Nottinghamshire.

• NWT manages heathland reserves such as Rainworth Heath

NWT are able to advocate for sites and advise on planning pressures such as housing, which are considerable in this area. Developments bring many often unexpected, challenges from people pressure, e.g. garden waste, dog fouling and cats chasing birds to children selling to lizards to unethical pet shops. The RSPB have researched the effects of people disturbance on nightjars.

Heath species include heath bedstraw & tormentil

DevelopmentsNCC and NWT ecologists advised and encouraged large scale restoration on former colliery sites following local planning department enforcement.

We have seen large scale projects notably 40 ha created at Rufford and Clipstone Collieries and on sites restored by FC.

Budby Heath is now part of Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve. Restoration at Mansfield Conical

Tools• The Heathland HAP

• OPAL: producing relevant Field Study guide

• The Sherwood Habitats Forum has provided networks, lectures and publications, eg Vision for Sherwood and

The Notts. Heathland Strategy, updated in 2004, provides partners with case studies, updated figures of heathland created, managed and restored.

•Conservation grazing…Flying Flock, Birklands Grazing Project and private graziers. Must be carefully managed.

• Machinery rings and pioneering techniques in soil management, bracken control, heather harvesting, seeding, propagation, rotation coppicing broom/gorse to give structure, safe-guarding associated flora and fauna.

Conservation Grazing of Heathland.

Some sites

• Management: Budby Heath, Clumber Park, Strawberry Hills, WalesbyForest Scout Camp, Thoresby Borders, Centre Parcs, SF Golf Club, The Notts Golf Club, Coxmoor Golf Club, Worksop Golf Club, Oak Tree Heath, Sherwood Heath, Rainworth Heath.

• Creation: Clumber Park, Thoresby Borders, Center Parcs, Vicar Water Country Park, Oak Tree Heath, Sherwood Heath, Sherwood Pines, Rufford Pit, Mansfield Conical Site, Rainworth Bypass

…the latter coming up from the existing seed bank creating a valuable linking corridor, visible to the public.

Case study: Clipstone Pit

Early restoration: Bare substrate (above) and capping

• Combined area of 120ha (Clipstone and Rufford). 26 ha at Clipstone (Vicar Water)

• Phased site restoration: Began 1996

• Heavily compacted landform

• Sand from Rufford imported and site capped with 300mm in 1998

• Nurse acidic grass sward established

• Heather brash introduced in several phases from Sherwood Forest Golf Club, Clipstone Forest & Oak Tree Heath.

Case study: Clipstone Pit becomes Vicar Water Country Park

Vicar Water heathland looking west

• Slow establishment.

•Influx of tree seedlings

• Areas used by green woodpecker, lapwing, skylark, snipe.

• Grazing introduced in specific areas but monitored.

•Mosaic of heath habitats developing

Managed by the SFT on behalf of Newark and Sherwood District Council, & part of Thoresby Estate. It is a 22 ha SSSI lowland heathland site and Local Nature Reserve.

Tasks: bracken rolling, heather scrape creation & woodland management, using SFT funding and CSS/ HLS, have improved this habitat.

Community Rangers, and the SFT CHL officer engage volunteers and a friends of group in conservation work.

Sherwood Heath snowscape

Case study: Sherwood Heath

Don’t get complacent!Sherwood still has considerable potential to regain heathland which still represents a fraction of the former habitat.

• Look for opportunities: Sherwood Pines Forest Design Plan/ SFT 2004 Clipstone Heath report could provide 300ha LH open habitat

• Linking smaller heaths and large scale projects will add to the landscape and offer regional significance…would a Regional Park help?

• Continue to build landowner capacity through advice and management planning.

• Continue to engage local communities, e.g, Oak Tree Heath community postcards, leaflets, Annual National Heathland Day events on Oak Tree and Strawberry Hill. NCC Ranger led activities across the mosaic of Sherwood habitats.

• Reduce fire risk to combat climate change, rotate/coppice gorse, make fire breaks, reduce bracken litter.

The ChallengeMoving forward:

• Work: We are aware of partner and agency plans and proposals for new programmes of heathland work, more still needs to be done.

• Will European funding continue? Is HLS funding secured? Sites need to be maintained.

• Climate Change…will warming bare sand impact on ground level invertebrates and other wildlife? Will the character of sites change? Will drought harm heather germination? Will tree species change? Will greenhouse gasses from livestock farming (the biggest cause of climate change/ water pressure) and nitrogen impact heather growth, grasses, lichens and bryophytes?

• Progress needs to be reflected by resurveying, updating entries and adding newly created sites to the Heathland Register.

• Monitoring: Are we clear how we measure the target for 80% of sites in condition or reaching the 2010/2015 targets, set in 2006? Will BARS help?

Sherwood Forest TrustSherwood Forest TrustMission Statement

For the benefit of the public, the Sherwood Forest Trust will work alone

and with others, via persuasion, education, co-operation and direct

action to secure the re-creation of the traditional landscape and habitat of

Sherwood Forest