HLS - MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES

SPECIFIC OPTIONS, PRESCRIPTIONS AND INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

HO1 - Maintenance of lowland heathland

Land parcels managed under this option:

• SU49644022, SU49640760, SU49640917 and SU49643641 – Heathland between Alderbridge Gully and Ballshill and Handpost Gullies, Compartment 3B and 3E
• SU50647747, SU49644170, SU49644490 and SU50648365 – Central Airbase Lozenges, Compartments 9 to 12
• SU48646313 – Southwestern Heathland, Compartment 2A
• SU51642785 – North Eastern Airbase, Compartment 13
• SU50654110 and SU50650636 – Heathlands north of Burys Bank Road, Compartment 17B
• SU48640565 and SU48643080 – Western heathland, Compartment 1C
• SU48653916 and SU48652301 – Western end of runway, Compartment 1A and 1B
• SU50641392 – Heathland near to Rangers buildings, Compartment 14
• SU49637779 and SU50634487– Heathland south of New Greenham Park, Compartment 4B and 5A
• SU51647522 – South Eastern Airbase, Compartment 8B
• SU51646335 – Eastern end of runway, Compartment 8A
• SU52642937 – Crookham Common, Compartment 6A

General description of the management required

This option is designed to encourage the appropriate management of existing lowland heathland sites in good condition. Such sites require active management input to retain their ecological value. Sensitive management, using a combination of grazing, cutting and removal, or burning will be required. Archaeological features will be protected by the continuation of an appropriate grazing regime and the prevention of scrub growth. Maintenance of lowland heathland will help to maintain and strengthen the vegetation mosaics characteristic of lowland landscapes.

This management is intended to benefit the following features:

• Lowland heathland – BAP habitat
• Uncommon birds – Nightjar, Woodlark, Dartford Warbler.
• Archaeological features

Management Prescriptions; the dos and don'ts

The following rules apply across the whole area being managed under this option.

• Follow the detailed objectives in the agreed management plans (see Additional Notes).
• Produce a balanced range and spread of dwarf shrub age classes by cutting and removing vegetation each year in accordance with agreed management plans. Such management will be a necessary supplement to grazing where the grazing regime is not achieving the desired structural diversity.
• Manage gorse in accordance with agreed management plans by coppicing and/or removal in selected stands, to ensure that vigour is maintained and the full range of age classes is represented and to manage gorse dominance where appropriate.
• Graze with cattle and/or ponies suitable for the conditions, to suppress scrub and grasses and maintain a structural mosaic in dwarf shrub stands. Grazing pressure exerted by wild mammals, e.g. rabbit and deer, needs to be taken into account.
• Ploughing or cultivation is permitted only for agreed areas of bare ground which are created specifically for biodiversity benefit, and where there is no risk to archaeological remains.
• Installing new drainage, or modifying existing drainage systems is not permitted unless agreed with your Natural England contact.
• All firebreaks must be maintained, or rotated, with new ones created and old ones abandoned.
• Do not apply fertilisers, organic manures or waste materials (including sewage sludge).
• Supplementary feeding should not take place within Greenham and Crookham Commons SSSI and outside the SSSI, should be confined to mineral blocks whenever possible.
• Control injurious weeds so that their cover is less than 5%. Control method to be agreed with your Natural England contact.
• Control trees/scrub in accordance with agreed management plans. There should be no increase in the extent of trees/scrub from the baseline established in 2008 and some scrub should be maintained.
• To protect the archaeological/historical features identified in the Historic Environment Record, Farm Environment Plans and in the Greenham and Crookham Common Historic Management Plan, do not:
• Place anything likely to cause ground disturbance on or near the features such as fences, feeders, water troughs.
• Locate access routes on or near the features and if the feature is being damaged by the use of a PROW, consult the Highway Authority.
• Allow the development of burrows.
• Allow trees to prevent them being blown down.

Indicators of Success

Heathland within Greenham and Crookham Commons SSSI

• All SSSI land should be in favourable or recovering condition (i.e. meeting the targets set out in the Conservation Objectives).
• There should be no declining trend in numbers of territories of Nightjar, Woodlark or Dartford Warbler (unless associated with trends being experienced at a wider landscape or national scale).
• Archaeological /historic features listed in the Historic Environment Record, Farm Environment Plan and in the Historic Management Plan have suffered no further degradation.
• Reduction in extent of Common Gorse on airbase lozenges in accordance with agreed management plan.

Heathland not designated SSSI

• Cover of dwarf shrubs such as Bell Heather, Ling Heather, Cross-leaved Heather, Dwarf Gorse should be between 25% and 95%, with at least two dwarf shrub species frequent.
• There should be a wide range of age classes of dwarf shrubs present. This should include between:
• 10% to 60% cover of pioneer stage
• 20% to 40% cover of building stage
• 20% to 40% cover of mature stage
• Less than 20% cover of degenerate stage
• No more than 10% cover of dead dwarf shrubs.
• At least 3 desirable wildflower species such as Heath Bedstraw, Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Heath Milkwort, Tormentil, Sheep’s Sorrel, Common Dog-violet should be occasional throughout the heath/acid grassland mosaic.
• Cover of bare ground should be between 1% and 10%.
• Cover of Common Gorse should be between 2% and 10%.
• Cover of bracken should be under 5%.
• Cover of trees/scrub should be under 10%.
• Cover of bryophytes and lichens should be at least 10%.
• Archaeological /historic features listed in the Historic Environment Record and Farm Environment Plan have suffered no further degradation. The depth of soil covering the features has been maintained.
• There should be no declining trend in numbers of territories of Nightjar, Woodlark or Dartford Warbler (unless associated with trends being experienced at a wider landscape or national scale).

Additional notes

Management plans informing the maintenance of heathland under this agreement include:

• Greenham and Crookham Commons Management Plan – to be agreed in Year 1 and to be in accordance with a.) the Historic Environment Management Plan to be produced in Year 1, and b.) Site of Special Scientific Interest Conservation Objectives.
• Historic Environment Management Plan for Greenham – to be produced and agreed in Year 1.
• Capital Works Programmes under this agreement.

Where the grazing system involves livestock managed and/or owned by others, e.g. commoners’ livestock, there should be regular and timely liaison with livestock managers/owners.

Where grazing is not possible or grazing is not having the desired effect, other means of managing vegetation will be necessary.

Occasional stands of moderately sparse bracken on the edge of the heathland habitat should be retained. This is particularly valuable for Nightjar where there is unsuitable dwarf shrub structure.

Since all land under this agreement is Open Access Land, management of recreational pressures will be crucial to achieving the agreement objectives. This is particularly relevant where management is seeking to provide suitable habitat for ground-nesting birds such as Nightjar or wader species.

Until management on Greenham and Crookham Commons can be informed by the Historic Environment Management Plan to be produced in Year 1, activities which cause disturbance to the ground or alteration of archaeological/historical features are not permitted and your Natural England contact should be informed immediately of declining condition and/or threats to the historic/archaeological features.

Heathland on Greenham and Crookham Commons should be maintained to conserve and extend Nightjar, Dartford Warbler and Woodlark territories identified in 2008 (note that provision of bare ground for these species in the heathland should take into account the large resource available in the thinly vegetated gravel areas). Data collected through bird monitoring activities on the commons should be used to inform management.

On the southwest lozenge of Greenham and Crookham Commons SSSI, the heathland structure should be skewed towards the pioneer stage to ensure maintenance and spread of important lichen communities in this area.

On the lozenges of Greenham and Crookham Commons SSSI, gorse management is key to heathland maintenance. Management will involve diversification of the age/physical structure by coppicing and grazing by ponies and also a reduction in extent of gorse through stump treatment. The management strategy will seek to optimise the value of the gorse as a nectar source, shelter for livestock and wildlife, access management tool etc.

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