Management Plan for Moss Valley Woodlands Nature Reserve April 2021 – March 2031 1 Acknowledgements Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust would like to thank the many individuals who have contributed to the formulation of this management plan. In particular, thanks go to the Data for Nature volunteers who collected data from across the reserve as part of the monitoring programme. Report by: Chris Doar Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust 37 Stafford Road Sheffield S2 2SF Tel: 0114 263 4335 Email: [email protected] Website: www.wildsheffield.com 2 Contents Summary ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Purposes and formulation of the plan .......................................................................................................... 6 Structure of the plan ..................................................................................................................................... 6 2.0 Site Description ...................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 General Information ........................................................................................................................... 8 Location and extent ................................................................................................................................... 8 Landscape value and context .................................................................................................................... 8 Site ownership and tenure ........................................................................................................................ 9 Designations and policy context ............................................................................................................... 9 Site safety, security and maintenance .................................................................................................... 10 Adjacent land ownership ......................................................................................................................... 10 Past, recent and present land use ........................................................................................................... 10 Services and site access ........................................................................................................................... 12 Public Rights of Way ................................................................................................................................ 12 2.2 Environmental Information .............................................................................................................. 13 Topography .............................................................................................................................................. 13 Geology and pedology ............................................................................................................................. 13 Hydrology ................................................................................................................................................ 13 Climate ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 2.3 Biodiversity ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Biodiversity Action Plans ......................................................................................................................... 15 Table 1: BAP Priority habitats and species .......................................................................................... 15 Habitats ................................................................................................................................................... 15 Table 2: Summary of woodland management works since 2000 ....................................................... 19 Species ..................................................................................................................................................... 21 Table 3: Birds of Conservation Concern ................................................................................................. 23 2.4 Infrastructure .................................................................................................................................... 25 2.5 Cultural Context ................................................................................................................................ 26 Table 4: Access protocol for Moss Valley Woodland ............................................................................. 27 Economic ..................................................................................................................................................... 30 3 3.0 Reserve Vision and Features of Interest .............................................................................................. 32 3.1 Vision Statement............................................................................................................................... 32 3.2 Feature 1: Broadleaved woodland ................................................................................................... 33 3.3 Feature 2: Ancient woodland ground flora ..................................................................................... 41 Table 5. Ancient Woodland Indicator Species ......................................................................................... 44 3.4 Feature 3: Diverse woodland bird community ................................................................................. 47 3.5 Feature 4: Species rich grassland ..................................................................................................... 52 3.6 Feature 5: Diverse fungal community ............................................................................................. 55 3.7 Feature 6: Running water .................................................................................................................... 60 Feature 7: Public Access ............................................................................................................................. 63 4.0 Work Programme ................................................................................................................................. 68 5.0 Figures .................................................................................................................................................. 71 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 71 APPENDIX I: Glossary of Acronyms and terms ................................................................................................ 78 APPENDIX II SUMMARY OF PROPOSED MONITORING................................................................................... 79 APPENDIX III: Operational Standards and Techniques ................................................................................... 80 Protection and control ............................................................................................................................ 80 Minimising wind damage ........................................................................................................................ 80 Pests and diseases ................................................................................................................................... 80 Biosecurity ............................................................................................................................................... 81 Archaeology ............................................................................................................................................. 81 Protected species .................................................................................................................................... 81 Veteran and Notable Trees ..................................................................................................................... 81 Water Management ................................................................................................................................ 81 Domestic stock and fencing .................................................................................................................... 82 Use of pesticides and fertilisers .............................................................................................................. 82 Waste disposal and pollution .................................................................................................................. 82 Control of harvesting operations ............................................................................................................ 83 Emergency procedures ............................................................................................................................ 83 Management of health and safety .........................................................................................................