Wildlife Hay Meadows

WILDLIFE HAY MEADOWS

ALMOST ALL THE TRUST’S NATURE RESERVES ARE THE PRODUCT OF HUMAN INFLUENCE, THROUGH CLEARANCE OF THE WILDWOOD, PAST MANAGEMENT OR MORE MODERN AGRICULTURE. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (RESERVES) DAVE BROMWICH EXPLAINS WHY NEARLY A THIRD OF OUR NATURE RESERVE AREA IS MANAGED BY TRADITIONAL LIVESTOCK FARMING METHODS OF HAY-MAKING AND LIVESTOCK GRAZING.

HAY MEADOWS ARE AN ARCHETYPAL ENGLISH LANDSCAPE, THE RESULT OF CENTURIES OF AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT. HAY WAS A MAJOR COMMODITY UNTIL LITTLE MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY AGE. MEADOWS WERE KEPT WEED FREE (DOCK, NETTLE, THISTLE AND PARTICULARLY RAGWORT) AND LIGHTLY MANURED TO PRODUCE A HERB-RICH NUTRITIOUS CROP TO ENSURE THAT LIVESTOCK KEPT IN GOOD CONDITION OVER WINTER ON THE FARM. CUTTING WAS CARRIED OUT IN LATE JUNE TO LATE JULY WHEN NUTRIENTS WERE AT THEIR PEAK. SLOW MECHANICAL CUTTING, FOLLOWED BY LABORIOUS RAKING AND TURNING ALLOWED SUFFICIENT SEED TO FALL AND ENABLE THE NEXT YEAR’S PLANTS TO FLOURISH. FOLLOWING FURTHER GROWTH, USUALLY BY SEPTEMBER, SHEEP WOULD GRAZE THE AFTERMATH. ALL OUR TYPICAL HAY MEADOW RESERVES ARE MANAGED IN THIS TRADITIONAL WAY, EXCEPT THAT CUTTING AND BALING IS DONE BY MACHINE.

PERMANENT PASTURE WAS ALSO REQUIRED, PUTTING ON CATTLE FIRST TO TAKE THE ROUGH OR LONG BITE, FOLLOWED BY SHEEP TO NIBBLE THE SHORTER GRASS. BOTH HAY MAKING AND GRAZING LEFT A SHORTER TURF FOR THE WINTER PERIOD. SUCH EXTENSIVE GRASSLAND WAS HOME TO MANY BIRDS WE VALUE TODAY, SUCH AS LAPWINGS AND SKYLARK, WITH SWALLOWS HAWKING FLIES AMONG THE CATTLE. AND THE HERB-RICH MEADOWS SUPPORTED A WEALTH OF FLORA.

THE TRUST STRUGGLED FOR MANY YEARS TO REINTRODUCE GRAZING ON HEATHLAND RESERVES WHICH WERE DISAPPEARING UNDER A CARPET OF INVADING SCRUB. THE BIO-DIVERSITY VALUE OF THOSE HABITATS WAS VISIBLY DECLINING DESPITE THE VALIANT EFFORTS OF HAND MANAGEMENT. IT IS ONLY SINCE GRAZING STARTED IN THE EARLY 1990’S THAT THE ABILITY TO MANAGE THESE SITES IN A PRACTICAL AND SUSTAINABLE WAY HAS BEEN ACHIEVED.

OF THE 3,500 HECTARES OF NATURE RESERVES MANAGED BY THE TRUST, ABOUT 1,000 ARE GRAZEABLE. GRAZING MANAGEMENT IS A PROCESS OF CONTINUAL REFINEMENT. STOCKING DENSITY, TYPE (CATTLE OR SHEEP) AND TIMING OF GRAZING ALL HAVE DIFFERENT EFFECTS; SIMILARLY WITH DIFFERENT BREEDS AND THE AGE OF LIVESTOCK.

GRAZING IS OFTEN AN INTEGRAL REQUIRMENT OF NATURAL ENGLAND MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR RESERVES WHICH AR ESITES OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST (SSSIs) OR IN DEFRA’S COUNTRYSIDE STEWARDSHIP SCHEME. THESE ARE NOT OPTIONS: WE ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO CARRY OUT GRAZING.

THERE IS NO DOUB THAT THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE WAY OF MANAGING MOST OF OUR GRASSLAND AND HEATHLAND RESERVES IS BY GRAZING WITH SHEEP AND CATTLE. IN FACT, IT IS THE ONLY PRACTICAL WAY OF MAINTAINING THE

BIO-DIVERSE CONDITION OF THESE NATURE RESERVES.