APPENDIX 3 Llantysilio Mountain Fire Preliminary Assessment and SSSI Management Recommendations Katharine Longden Penny Anderson Associates Ltd Report No 372 Date wwwww.naturalresourceswales.gov.ukw.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk About Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales’ purpose is to pursue sustainable management of natural resources. This means looking after air, land, water, wildlife, plants and soil to improve Wales’ well-being, and provide a better future for everyone. Evidence at Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales is an evidence based organisation. We seek to ensure that our strategy, decisions, operations and advice to Welsh Government and others are underpinned by sound and quality-assured evidence. We recognise that it is critically important to have a good understanding of our changing environment. We will realise this vision by: • Maintaining and developing the technical specialist skills of our staff; • Securing our data and information; • Having a well resourced proactive programme of evidence work; • Continuing to review and add to our evidence to ensure it is fit for the challenges facing us; and • Communicating our evidence in an open and transparent way. This Evidence Report series serves as a record of work carried out or commissioned by Natural Resources Wales. It also helps us to share and promote use of our evidence by others and develop future collaborations. However, the views and recommendations presented in this report are not necessarily those of NRW and should, therefore, not be attributed to NRW. www.naturalresourceswww.naturalresourceswales.gov.ukwales.gov.uk Page 1 Report series: NRW Evidence Report Report number: 372 Publication date: January 2020 Contract number: PO 2042882 Contractor: Penny Anderson Associates Ltd Contract Manager: Philip Oliver Title: Llantysilio Mountain Fire Preliminary Assessment and SSSI Management Recommendations Author(s): K Longden Technical Editor: Philip Oliver Peer Reviewer(s) John Ratcliffe, Bethan Beech Approved By: Nick Thomas Restrictions: None Distribution List (core) NRW Library, Bangor 2 National Library of Wales 1 British Library 1 Welsh Government Library 1 Scottish Natural Heritage Library 1 Natural England Library (Electronic Only) 1 Distribution List (others) Ian Hughes, NRW Anthony Randles, NRW Mark Hughes, NRW David Powell, NRW Lyndsey Rawlinson, NRW Peter Jones, NRW Tom Harrison, NRW Rhian Evans, Denbighshire County Council Communities Scrutiny Committee David Shiel, Clwydian Range AONB Rhun Jones, Clwydian Range AONB Tate Boys, Landowner Llantysiolio Estate, Landowner Recommended citation for this volume: Longden, K. 2019. Llantysilio Mountain Fire Preliminary Assessment and SSSI Management Recommendations. NRW Report No: 372, 88 pp, NRW, Bangor www.naturalresourceswales.gov.ukwww.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Page 2 Contents 1. Crynodeb Gweithredol .................................................................................................... 7 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 9 2. Introduction and aims ................................................................................................... 11 2.1. Background .......................................................................................................................11 3. Methodology ................................................................................................................. 14 4. Results ......................................................................................................................... 16 4.1. Fire Damage Categories ...................................................................................................16 4.2. Geology and Soils .............................................................................................................17 4.3. Intact Vegetation ...............................................................................................................18 4.4. Erosion ..............................................................................................................................19 4.5. Natural Regeneration ........................................................................................................20 4.6. Mosses ..............................................................................................................................20 4.7. Grazing ..............................................................................................................................21 4.8. Summary ...........................................................................................................................21 5. Restoration Techniques ................................................................................................ 23 5.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................23 5.2. The Baseline – Aerial Photography ..................................................................................24 5.3. Ground Stabilisation ..........................................................................................................24 5.3.1. Geotextiles – Jute Mesh .................................................................................................24 5.3.2. Heather Brash .................................................................................................................25 5.3.3. Seed Mixes .....................................................................................................................25 5.3.4. Hydro-seeding ................................................................................................................25 5.3.5. Coir Logs ........................................................................................................................26 5.3.6. Summary ........................................................................................................................26 5.4. Seed, Fertiliser and Lime ..................................................................................................26 5.5. Grazing ..............................................................................................................................29 5.6. Bracken .............................................................................................................................30 5.7. Gorse ................................................................................................................................31 6. Restoration Costs ......................................................................................................... 32 6.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................32 6.2. Aerial Photography and Digital Surface Model .................................................................32 6.3. Helicopters ........................................................................................................................32 6.4. Seeding .............................................................................................................................32 6.4.1. Air Drill ............................................................................................................................32 6.4.2. Hydroseeding ..................................................................................................................33 6.4.3. Discussion. .....................................................................................................................34 6.5. Coir Rolls ...........................................................................................................................35 6.6. Jute Biodegradable Erosion Control Mesh .......................................................................35 6.7. Heather Brash ...................................................................................................................35 6.8. Bracken Spraying ..............................................................................................................36 www.naturalresourceswales.gov.ukwww.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Page 3 6.9. Sheep Fencing ..................................................................................................................37 6.10. Monitoring .........................................................................................................................38 7. Recommended Approach ............................................................................................. 40 7.1. Recommended Plan of Action ..........................................................................................40 8. References ................................................................................................................... 42 Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... 43 9. Figures ......................................................................................................................... 44 10. Appendices ................................................................................................................... 52 10.1. Appendix 1 Target Notes from 1992 .................................................................................52 10.2. Appendix 2 Target Notes and photographs from 2019