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WOODLAND AND SCRUB

(a) Management of Ancient Wood Pasture (Tier 3)

Objectives

To enhance and extend sites with existing ancient wood pasture by maintaining the veteran trees, introducing or encouraging the regeneration of appropriate trees and managing the open pasture beneath and between those trees, to ensure the continuity of habitats which will support a range of invertebrates, birds, plants and other wildlife. BAP species that may benefit include Orange-fruited elm lichen, Bacidia incompta (another lichen); Dark-Bordered Beauty moth, Hammerschmidtia ferruginea (an aspen hoverfly), Juniper, Black Grouse and Red squirrel.

Scope and actions

(i) Where the open pasture element of the wood pasture is grassland, improved or unimproved, on the inbye:

Option 1

• Livestock must be excluded for 6 consecutive weeks from 1 April until 15 June inclusive.
• At other times, grazing levels must be set to maintain an average sward height of between 5 and 20 centimetres; or

Option 2

• Where the aim of this prescription would not be achieved by adopting option 1, a livestock management and grazing regime must be set out in a grazing plan to be agreed with Scottish Ministers. Stocking rates should be set to maintain an average sward height of between 5 and 20 centimetres. Where such an alternative management regime is proposed, evidence to support its adoption must accompany the application, for example a letter of support from, or a reference to advisory material produced by, a recognised conservation organisation.

And, for both options,

• Pesticides, lime, artificial fertiliser, farmyard manure or slurry must not be applied to the site. However, herbicides may be applied to control injurious weeds (Weeds Act 1959) using a weed wiper, spot treatment or hand sprayer.
• Any topping must not be carried out before 31 July.
• The site must not be used for supplementary feeding of stock.
• Where planting of small trees will serve to extend or enhance this habitat, species appropriate to the site and, where available, of local provenance, must be used.
• Newly planted trees or any successful regeneration must be protected, either as individual trees or in groups. The stem density within such groups will not exceed 50 trees per hectare while the spacing between them will not be less than 20 metres.
• Wooden post-and-rail fencing or metal tree guards should be erected where required to maintain and prolong the life of individual veteran trees.
• Provision must also be made through a deer control plan, agreed with the Deer Commission for Scotland, for the control of deer grazing.

(ii) Where the open pasture element of the wood pasture is acid grassland or heath, on the rough grazings:

• Pesticides, lime, artificial fertiliser, farmyard manure or slurry must not be applied to the site. However, herbicides may be applied to control injurious weeds (Weeds Act 1959) using a weed wiper, spot treatment or hand sprayer.
• Farm livestock must be excluded between 1 November and 28 February inclusive.
• At other times, grazing levels should be set to maintain an average grass sward height of between 5 and 20 centimetres.
• The site must not be used for supplementary feeding of stock.
• Where planting of small trees will serve to extend or enhance this habitat, species appropriate to the site and, where available, of local provenance must be used.
• Newly planted trees or any successful regeneration must be protected, either as individual trees or in groups. The stem density within such groups will not exceed 50 trees per hectare while the spacing between them will not be less than 20 metres.
• Wooden post-and-rail fencing or metal tree guards should be erected where required to maintain and prolong the life of individual veteran trees.
• Provision must also be made through a deer control plan, agreed with the Deer Commission for Scotland, for the control of deer grazing.

Description and justification of the different types of commitments, based on their expected environmental impact in relation to environmental needs and priorities

To enhance and extend sites within existing ancient wood pasture to ensure continuity of habitats which will support a range of invertebrates, birds, plants and other wildlife.

Geographical targeting

Sites currently listed in, and candidate sites for, the "Inventory of Ancient Wood Pasture in Scotland" (maintained by SNH) will be eligible under this Scheme. This option may be adopted for ancient wood pasture sites where there are existing veteran trees and for areas which are contiguous with existing ancient wood pasture and now devoid of veteran trees, but where there is historical evidence, from 1st edition 1860 maps, that such a habitat has existed.

Amounts of support

The payment rate has been calculated on the basis of additional cost and income forgone from the commitment made. Hectarage limits apply.

Payment rate for in-bye £105/ha,
Payment rate for rough grazings £50/ha.

(b) Management of Scrub and Tall Herb Communities (Tier 3)

Objectives

The aim of this option is to enhance native scrub vegetation and tall herb communities through improving the quality and increasing extent as well as maintaining existing areas of the habitat. This will help the survival of specific BAP species e.g. Black Grouse and protect soils and watercourses.

Scope and actions

The option requires some form of regular management of vegetation, such as extensive grazing, on part or all of the site to maintain suitable conditions for species and to prevent the development of woodland. The option may require the exclusion of livestock in some or all years.

Tall herb communities are characterised by wood rush and water avens, they tend to occur on steep slopes. Tall herb communities develop in the uplands where grazing pressures are low.

Description and justification of the different types of commitments, based on their expected environmental impact in relation to environmental needs and priorities

The key focus for managing scrub and tall herb communities will be the grazing regime. This will normally involve light grazing in the summer, and none in the winter.

Beneficiaries must:

• Manage the grazing of the scrub and open habitat mosaic to maintain the balance between these components (overall within the mosaic, scrub cover will vary depending on type - technical guidance will be prepared with indicative proportions for each scrub type). The scrub should be in good condition and regeneration should be present at a level sufficient to maintain current extent (which may involve the complete but temporary removal of grazing - see technical guidance notes to be prepared). The open habitats should be managed according to the appropriate technical guidance notes.
• Cut areas of scrub to encourage regeneration from the stump (eg coppice) and carry out thinning ( e.g. the selective removal of individual stems or shrubs) to enhance structural diversity of the stand.
• Remove dense vegetation and scarify the ground in order to help create favourable conditions for natural regeneration of scrub species to occur.
• Mow or flail open areas annually. Do not carry out mowing/flailing until late summer/autumn to avoid destroying seeding herbs.
• Where there is no natural source of regeneration and if seeding cannot occur naturally, planting should be considered as a last resort, or layering can be used to regenerate stands.
• Eradicate any Rhododendron present on the site.
• Avoid poaching by managing stock carefully when ground conditions are wet.
• No fertilisers, slurry, FYM, pesticides or lime should be applied to areas of scrub habitat except with the prior written agreement of Scottish Ministers.
• Supplementary feeding is not permitted.
• There must be no ploughing or other cultivation such as reseeding, rolling or chain harrowing [unless these are required to establish trees and shrubs and agreed with Scottish Ministers / specifically stated in the prescriptions or in the management plan / capital works programme].
• Unless otherwise agreed with Scottish Ministers, all mature or over-mature standing trees and all standing and fallen deadwood must be retained, unless it is a genuine safety hazard. Tree surgery must be limited to that required for the safety of people and farm livestock.
• There must be no new drainage or modification/improvement to existing drainage systems. Existing drains can be maintained.
• In upland areas where relevant to capercaillie and Black Grouse all new fences should be marked with bird strike markers.
• As a component of the structural mosaic of scrub stands, bare earth is important for invertebrates and pioneer species. It can be created and maintained during scrub management through (limited) de-turfing and uprooting of established scrub.

Geographical targeting

Scrub of high environmental value (as defined in the list of types below) that can be maintained or enhanced under this option where it would not be detrimental to the existing landscape character or to sites of wildlife interest.

Scrub includes all stages from scattered bushes to closed canopy vegetation dominated by locally native shrubs or tree saplings usually less than 5m tall occasionally with a few scattered trees. This includes carr, scrub in the uplands and lowlands (including wood edge habitats), montane scrub and coastal scrub.

Scrub may be considered of high conservation importance for the following reasons:

• Where the shrub species is of conservation importance in its own right, e.g. Juniper, Downy Willow
• Where other species associated with the scrub have high conservation importance e.g. lichen species associated with coastal hazel
• Where the scrub occurs as a landscape element within an ecological unit, e.g. birch and willow at the edge of wet heaths and mires, at altitude scrub occurs at the interface between woodland and montane heath, and on sheltered coasts scrub and elfin woodland are part of a natural ecotone.

List of scrub types of high environmental value with characteristic species:

Amounts of support

The payment rate has been calculated on the basis of additional cost and income forgone from the commitment made. Hectarage limits apply.

Payment Rate £94/ha

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