MOORLAND RESEARCH REVIEW 2000-2005 Edited by Martin Hammond North York Moors National Park Authority 2007 NORTH YORK MOORS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY MOORLAND RESEARCH REVIEW, 2000-2005 Contents 1. Moorland management and restoration Mervyn Lewis & Malcolm Beetham North York Moors hill sheep economic study, 2005 R J Pakeman, M G Le Duc & R H Mars Controlling bracken encroachment and the long-term success of bracken control R C Robinson The North York Moors bracken clearance proving trial: a progress report Rachel Pickering Fylingdales fire site regeneration project Giles Manners Fylingdales burn site monitoring programme, 2005 George Winn-Darley Comparison of two wild fires on the North York Moors, September 2003 Martin Hammond & Rona Charles The conservation of juniper on the North York Moors 2. Ecological impacts of moorland management Andrew Windrum Monitoring the condition of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the North York Moors National Park Alison Reid The influence of heather management on plant diversity in the North York Moors: implications for nature conservation Jane Burch The regeneration of bryophytes after the burning of H12a and M16d moorland on the North York Moors Ulrike Wenzel The influence of controlled periodic burning on the vegetation of blanket bogs on the North York Moors Marie Schober The influence of drainage on the composition of blanket bog vegetation in the North York Moors 3. Mammal studies Laura Winter Water Voles in the North York Moors National Park: results of surveys in upland areas between 2002 and 2005 1 Helen F Laycock How does upland Water Vole density vary with management regime and habitat structure on the North York Moors? Ellen Patrington Investigating the use of Water Vole Arvicola terrestris latrines as an index of abundance in population surveys 4. Moorland bird studies D Newborn Do breeding waders suffer from sheep ticks and louping ill? Garry Marchant Merlin study, 2000-2005 Cleo Small Breeding waders on in-bye land in the North York Moors Wilf Norman North York Moors moorland wader survey, 2005 John Edwards Bird surveys on Fylingdales Moor in 2005 K S Hutchinson Survey of Ring Ouzel territories in Rosedale and other areas of the North York Moors National Park 5. Reptile studies Simon Pickles Reptile surveys on the North York Moors 6. Invertebrate studies Sam Ellis The conservation of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary in bracken habitats on the North York Moors Sean Clough The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary in the North York Moors National Park David Wainwright The status of the Large Heath butterfly on the North York Moors Martin Hammond Helophorus tuberculatus: a threatened moorland beetle? 7. Paleoenvironmental research J J Blackford & J B Innes Prehistoric woodland clearance on Rosedale Moor: evidence for herbivore grazing, fires and a ‘dead wood stage’ at the time of Mesolithic forest disturbance 1 M Jane Bunting A study of the relationship between moorland vegetation and pollen deposition M Jane Bunting, C A Langrick & B T Rumsby Holocene environmental change and valley floor development at Jugger Howe Beck 8. Acidification and the aquatic environment Chris Evans, Dave Norris, Edwin Rowe, Tom Chadwick & Tim Heaton Evidence of severe surface water acidification in the North York Moors National Park Tom Chadwick Monitoring report on acid rain and acidification in Danby Dale, 2000-2005 9. Overview Martin Hammond Overview of moorland research, 2000-2005 1 1. Moorland management Hefting is the awareness of a home range amongst sheep flocks grazing on unfenced moorland, which is passed on from ewes to their offspring and reinforced by shepherding. It is critical to maintaining the open moorland landscape and maintaining the economic viability of hill sheep farming in the North York Moors. In this chapter, Mervyn Lewis and Malcolm Beetham of the Rural Business Research Unit at Askham Bryan College, analyse the potential costs of re-introducing newly-hefted sheep following the removal or break-up of established flocks from the Moors. A massive wildfire occurred on Fylingdales Moor in September 2003, burning for four days and severely damaging 250 hectares within the North York Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area of Conservation (SAC). As well as requiring a major commitment of fire-fighting resources, this necessitated a costly programme of vegetation restoration. In this chapter, Rachel Pickering of the NYMNPA and Natural England reports on the Fylingdales fire site regeneration project whilst Giles Manners provides a report on vegetation monitoring comparing different restoration treatments. These have included grass seeding, heather seeding and spreading of heather brash on burnt areas. George Winn-Darley has collated his observations on two almost simultaneous wildfires in September 2003: the Fylingdales fire already mentioned and another on managed grouse moor at Bransdale. Papers examining the effects of managed burning on moorland plant communities have been included in the section on ecological impacts of moorland management (chapter 2). Bracken management and control remains an important issue for land managers on the North York Moors and in other upland areas. In many situations, the land manager’s objective will not be intensive clearance of bracken but control of its spread, especially along advancing fronts. Here, Pakeman et al review long-term monitoring of the effectiveness of this approach on Levisham Moor. Where more intensive clearance programmes are planned, repeated applications of the selective herbicide Asulox are needed as a follow-up to primary treatment, as shown by proving trials on the Spaunton Estate (Robinson, this chapter). Juniper has probably grown on the North York Moors since the end of the last Ice Age but by the 1990s only a few aged populations remained with no recruitment taking place. Conservation of juniper presents particular challenges because it is intolerant of burning and grazing (the mainstays of moorland management) yet it also requires open ground free from dense competing vegetation to become established. Efforts to restore juniper on the North York Moors as part of the Local Biodiversity Action Plan are summarised in the final paper of this chapter. 1 North York Moors Hill Sheep Economic Study 2005 Mervyn Lewis and Malcolm Beetham Rural Business Research Unit, Askham Bryan College Introduction The economic results for moorland flocks on the North York Moors was previously reported in a series of studies covering the period 1994-2000. Since that time major changes have impacted on the hill sheep sector including the replacement of the Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance (HLCA) payments with the Hill Farming Allowance (HFA) payments and the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). The purpose of this study was to provide a more up-to-date assessment of the profitability of the moorland flocks. Case Studies Six case study farms were visited and data collected for the 2004/05 financial year. These farms represented a range of flock sizes with two small, two medium and two large moor flocks. There is a wide range in reported results for the six farms with Net Farm Income (NFI) ranging from a negative of £19,854 to a positive of £43,388. The gross margin for the moorland flock ranged from £4,081 to £37,022, which includes the Sheep and Wildlife Enhancement Scheme (SWES) payment. The gross margin per ewe ranged from £19 to £33, with the highest figures shown in the smaller flocks and the lowest being from the larger flocks. The unique circumstances of each farm, such as their historical subsidy level and area of farm, determines the impact of the SPS. Nevertheless, these projections indicate that the farms in this study would all be significantly worse off five years on from the introduction of the SPS. Comparison with other hill farms in the UK On the sample farms the gross margin for 2004/05 for both the moorland flock and the whole sheep flock was £27 per ewe. The lower output from the moorland flock was compensated for by the SWES payment. The sample farms had a considerably lower gross margin per ewe than those of other hill farms in the Yorkshire and Lancashire region’s Farm Business Survey (FBS). The average for all hill farms in the FBS was £45 per ewe, with premium farms achieving £62 per ewe. Data from other regions, such as Wales, also highlight the poor financial performance in the North York Moors. 1 This poor financial performance reflects the poor physical performance in the North York Moors with an average lambing percentage of just 83% compared to the FBS figure of 130% and the store lamb price of £18 per head compared to the FBS figure of £35 per head. Projections for theoretical hill farms For the theoretical hill farms with three sizes of moor flocks, the projections for the next 5 years show that Management and Investment Income (MII) levels are negative for each size unit and losses are greater at the end of the period. The average NFI of the three units in 2005/06 is £43/ha but by 2009/10 this drops to £2/ha and the figure is negative for the two larger units. The farm with the smallest hill flock is the most profitable due to the negative margins for moorland ewes being limited and labour costs being lower. The impact of SPS will differ between units of different size and is very much determined by the unique circumstances of each farm. If the SWES payment scheme continued at the same rate for the length of the projection then the outcome would be more positive. NFI for all three units would be positive ranging from £485 to £7,923. Costs of re-hefting a moor flock There would be enormous practical difficulties to overcome in establishing a new heft on a moor where there were no existing sheep.