Introduction
This Option will enhance and extend areas of ancient wood pasture to ensure they continue to support a range of invertebrates, birds, plants and other wildlife. The aim is to manage your grazing levels to:
- create a sward with a range of heights, including some short grassland and some dense tussocks, in accordance with published guidance SNH booklet Grassland for plants and animals. http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/heritagemanagement/Grasslandanimplant.pdf This will suit a wide variety of plants and insects.
- ensure the sward is at its longest in the summer and shorter in the spring and autumn when most grassland species germinate.
What this will achieve
This Option will enhance and extend areas of ancient wood pasture by maintaining veteran trees, introducing or encouraging regeneration of appropriate trees and managing the open pasture beneath and between those trees, to ensure these habitats continue to support a range of associated specialist 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.
What you can do
Requirements
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 cm and 20 cm.
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 cm and 20 cm. 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,
- lime, artificial fertiliser, farmyard manure or slurry must not be applied to the site.
- pesticides must not be applied to the managed area except with the prior written agreement of Scottish Ministers for activities such as spot treatment of scheduled weeds (i.e. creeping, spear or field thistle, curled or broadleaved dock and common ragwort) or non-native invasive species (i.e. Giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam, Rhododendron ponticum or Japanese knotweed)
- 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 m
- 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 for the control of deer grazing, through a deer control plan agreed with the Deer Commission for Scotland.
Where the open pasture element of the wood pasture is acid grassland or heath, on the rough grazings:
- lime, artificial fertiliser, farmyard manure or slurry must not be applied to the site.
- pesticides must not be applied to the managed area except with the prior written agreement of Scottish Ministers for activities such as spot treatment of scheduled weeds (i.e. creeping, spear or field thistle, curled or broadleaved dock and common ragwort) or non-native invasive species (i.e. Giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam, Rhododendron ponticum or Japanese knotweed)
- 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 5-20 cm
- 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 m
- 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 for the control of deer grazing through a deer control plan, agreed with the Deer Commission for Scotland
Who can apply
All land managers are eligible to apply for this Option.
Geographical targeting - Sites currently listed in, and candidate sites for, the "Inventory of Ancient Wood Pasture in Scotland" (maintained by SNH) will be eligible for this option. This Option may be adopted for ancient wood pasture sites where there are existing veteran trees and for areas which are adjoining 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.
Eligibility criteria
Land receiving payments for similar management under other agri-environment schemes is not eligible under this Option.
Please see the Definitions of Land Types page for more details.
What costs could be supported
For a comprehensive list of Capital Items click here. Any cost claimed must be fully justified. The following are examples of what may be claimed for:
When completing your Proposal, you can select the appropriate capital item(s) from the dropdown list of standard cost capital items for this Option.
In addition to the above capital items, financial support of up to 100% of eligible actual costs is available in respect of the following:
Please note that these capital items will not appear in the dropdown list of Standard Cost capital items for this Option and will need to be entered manually in the box for Actual Cost capital items. Only costs for the types of capital works listed above should be entered in the Actual Cost capital items box for this Option. Any other costs entered cannot be considered for funding.
To ensure value for money we require you to provide 2 competitive quotes for any capital items applied for which are based on actual cost. If, however, you are seeking grant support towards something so specialised it is only available through 1 source then we would accept 1 quote. Please see the guidance on quotes and estimates for more information.
Rate of support
This is a 5 year commitment. We will pay at the end of each year
Payment rate for in-bye land £105 per hectare per year.
Payment rate for rough grazings £50 per hectare per year.
Inspection/verification
The inspector will check the requirements (as detailed above under "what you can do") of the Option are being met, by a visual assessment on the day of inspection.
Beneficiaries must comply with the requirements of cross compliance. You must also comply with the requirements to avoid damaging any features of historic or archaeological interest, and follow Scottish Ministers' guidance for the protection of such areas or features (detailed in links below).
The following is a brief overview of the inspection procedures, for a full explanation please see links below:
Inspectors will check:
Improved or Unimproved In Bye Grassland
- Livestock has been excluded for 6 consecutive weeks between 1 April and 15 June inclusive
- Grazing levels outwith 6 week period maintain an average sward height of between 5 cm - 20 cm
- There is an agreed grazing plan if the above grazing is not adopted
- Letter of support for grazing plan or reference to published guidance form recognised conservation organisation
Acid Grassland or Heath on Rough Grazings
- Livestock has been excluded between 1 November and 28 February inclusive
- Grazing level outwith this period maintain an average sward height of between 5 cm - 20 cm
For both
- Visual check to ensure no fertiliser/ FYM/Slurry/lime has been applied to the site
- Pesticides records to ensure no pesticides have been applied to the site except herbicides to control schedule weed
- No supplementary feeding has ocurred
- Deer commission for Scotland has agreed a plan for the control of deer
- Individual veteran trees have been protected from damage
- Newly planted or regenerated trees do not exceed 50 trees/ha, trees are at least 20 m apart and are protected
- No topping before 31st July
- Claimed capital items are completed to approved amounts and scheme standards
List of links to relevant technical guidance