- itsonct INSTITUTE OF TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY MERLEWOOD ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE STUDY OF • DAMAGED GROUND AT CAIRNGORM ESTATE by Dr Adam Watson Moray Badenoch &Strathspey ENTERPRISE Highlands & Islands April 1994 ENTERPRISE á ENVIRONMENTALBASELINE STUDY OF DAMAGED GROUND AT CAIRNGORM ESTATE By Dr Adam Watson c/o Instituteof TerrestrialEcology, Banchory Produced for Highlands & Islands Enterprise, 1994 TITUTZEor Termmura.E-oacov EriATHEA'S 7 :1-1 ESMIE 4EY CONTENTS Page Summary 1 Introduction 1 2 Location and land designations 3 Backgroundand rationale 6 4 Chronologicalaccount of work done 8 5 Ground damaged naturally,without human impact 12 6 History of the ski developmentsand of resulting impacts 15 7 Locationsand methods for monitoringdamaged ground on the Estate 32 8 Results of 1991-93monitoringon the Estate 37 9 Results of 1990-93monitoringon the ski area 40 10 Natural recovery after human-induceddamage 41 11 Problem sites and recommendationsfor them 43 12 Future action plans 71 13 Acknowledgements 74 14 References 75 Appendix 1 Copy of Watson (1985) on soil erosion at Cairn Gorm 2 Dr G.R. Miller's notes on monitoringdamaged ground 3 Detailed descriptivenotes on paths 4 Inspectionand monitoringreports on the ski area, 1990- 93 5 Review of monitoring 6 List of monitoringproposals 7 Summary implementationtable 8 Detailed specificationsfor reducing damage 9 English and Latin names of species 10 Assessmentof snow lie for ground protection 11 Photographsshowing changes in problem sites and path repairs- 12 Detailed notes by Dr R. Aitken and Mr K. Wilson on path and ditch repair works 13 Grass reseedingmixture and areas treated in recent years SUMMARY This report presents the results of a study of damaged ground at Cairngorm Estate, based on field work in 1990-93. Most of the bared ground on the main ski grounds resulted from operations in the 1960s, especiallythe use of machines on the ground during constructionworks, but much of it has been caused by walkers. Ground alterationsand new facilitiescarried out by the ski company in recent years have caused minimal and negligible impacts. On the wider Estate, outside the main ski grounds, most of the damage has been caused by walkers. Ground damage by walkers is concentratedon paths, most of which have widened and deteriorated.However, repairs to the most seriously damaged paths in recent years have reversed this trend markedly in these cases. The path repair works have been on a larger scale than on any comparablehill area in Scotland. At high altitudes outside the main ski grounds, some slopes show widespread diffuse damage over a broad front, again due to walkers. The main aim of the Study was to set up a monitoringscheme on some of the most seriously damaged paths and slopes, based on fixed sampling sites marked with metal pegs, as an objective baseline for comparisonwith •futurechanges. As far as we are aware, this is the most rigorous quantitativescheme for monitoringdamaged ground so far establishedon a mountain area in Britain and Ireland. A second aim was to identifyand describe the main problem sites which posed threats to the stabilityof hill ground or to amenity, and to recommend remedial action for them. A third aim was to start annual monitoringon the ski area, of the kind already done for some years at the Lecht and Glenshee. The purpose was to inspect in early summer the fresh damage caused by skiing operations in the previous winter, agree a rectificationprogramme with managers, and check its efficacy in autumn. This report describes locationsand methods used, and gives results covering all three of the above aims. Monitoringat fixed marked sites was done in eight different locations,chosen deliberatelybecause they had much damaged ground, on paths and on slopes with widespread diffuse damage. Measurementswere made in late summer 1991,1992and 1993, and the report presents the first data on change from year to year. There was little material change. So far, this indicatesno trend towards deteriorationin ground conditionon the Estate from year to year. Some paths show a trend towards widening and deterioratingin surface, some appear to be approximatelystable in condition,with no material change, and most show signs of less use, narrowing,and colonisationby hill vegetation.Some of the most seriously damaged sections have been repaired. The repairs have markedly improvedpath surfaces and narrowed the paths, allowing colonisationby hill plants on formerly bared areas at the side. Some repaired parts could be further improved by minor changes, and suggestionsfor this are given. Recommendationsare made on priorities ii for new repair works and other management suggestionsfor paths so far untreated.Notes are presented covering all paths and their condition. Inspectionsand monitoringon the ski area started in 1990 and have been carried out annually since. In each year, hardly any fresh damage was caused by the previous winter's skiing operations.The main damage was confined to small patches of bare peat in lower Coire Cas and a few in Coire na Ciste, which were already there in earlier years. The patches in Coire Cas have shown a marked increase in vegetativecover since 1990 due to reseeding and colonisationby native hill plants. In 1990 there were minor bank slips at a steep corner on the gravel road up Cairn Gorm; suggestionsfor reinstatementare given. Each winter there has been short-termdeteriorationin the condition of the gravel vehicle track and its drains: this was rectified each summer, and suggestionshave been made for longer-termimprovement.For example, agreed changes in track surfaces and drains have reduced runoff and erosion. Suggested changes in the platform surface at the Ptarmigan Restauranthave made a better walking surface and reduced the rolling of stones on to vegetation. Other ground works near the Ptarmigan Restauranthave improved the appearance of the area. Alterationsby the Chairlift Company to the upper part of the vehicle track to the Ptarmigan Restaurantand at the top of the new extended ml Tow have reduced soil erosion markedly, increased vegetative cover, and produced better surfaces for walkers on the track and for skiers off the track. Major problem sites with bare ground were identified.They are classified in terms of safeguardingthe stability and conditionof hill ground, and in terms of amenity in places visited by people. Recommendedtreatments, with prioritiesand an implementationtable, are given. The only case recommendedfor urgent treatment from the viewpoint of safeguardingthe stability of hill ground is the set of small landslipsthat took place in the headwall of Coire Cas in 1992. This Study is a baseline, upon which rolling annual action plans and monitoring would rest in future. The action plan would be reviewed and brought up to date once a year. It would change in the light of fresh damage or other problems highlightedby future annual monitoringand recovery. The aim is to increase ground stabilityand amenity continually, wherever possible providinggood conditionsfor recovery by natural processes. 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 General In 1989 the Highlands & Islands DevelopmentBoard (now Highlands & Islands Enterprise),asked the writer to carry out an environmentalbaseline study on their Cairngorm Estate. I was then a member of staff of the Institute of TerrestrialEcology at Banchory,and preliminarycosts were paid to ITE. Since May 1990, the Board have commissionedthe work from the writer as an independentenvironmentalconsultant.The Board's request for a baseline study followed the productionof the EnvironmentalBaseline Study at Glenshee Ski Centre (Watson 1988).Glenshee Chairlift Company commissionedthis in response to requirementsby Grampian Regional Council and other planning authorities,which were consideringthe Company's proposals for new developmentsand their Developmentand management Plan (GlensheeChairlift Company 1987). As at Glenshee, the Cairngorm study was to concentrateon measuring ground damaged by human impact. The term "damagedground" involves bare ground where all vegetationhas gone, and associatedsoil erosion. Damage to vegetation,such as bruising, is often includedin the term, is often associatedwith bare ground, and is often an early warning of likely impendingbare ground. Below, "damagedground" includes bare ground and vegetationdamage, and the two are frequentlydistinguishedand described separately (see Section 3 for a fuller account of the terms and meanings). However, it was decided by Mr K.S. Bryers of HIDB with my full agreement that the study should concentrateon bare ground. All were agreed that this was of key importancefor the conditionof the hill, including the vegetationand the skiing which both ultimatelydepend on maintainingthe soil and thus on reducing the amount of bare ground as much as possible. 1.2 Study aims The aims of this Study were:- to produce an objectivequantitativebaseline of the state of ground conditionsin the area now, against which future changes could be reliably compared. There has long been argument between conflicting interests,sometimesacrimonious,on whether ground conditions on Cairngorm Estate and on the nearby plateauare worse or not, and to what extent (e.g. evidence at the Lurcher'sGully Public Inquiry in 1981). The intentionwas to produce factual quantitativeinformationthat would stand up to cross-examinationat a public or other inquiry, and should also be capable of being used in publicationsin refereed scientific journals. In this way the credibilityof the monitoringand of