The Heather Trust

Project Work

The Trust

The Trust investigates a number of upland issues with the aim of improving moorland for the benefit of grouse and other upland birds, grazing animals and invertebrates. The Trust recognises that moorland habitats should be managed and maintained to satisfy farming, conservation, sporting and recreational interests.

The Demonstration Moors Project (May 01 - Apr 06)

In May 2001, the Trust started a 5 year contract with DEFRA to set up 4 demonstration moorland sites in England & Wales which finished at the end of April 2006. The demonstration moors were at:

  • Molland Moor, South Devon
  • Gwerclas Mountain, Corwen, North Wales
  • Faulds Brow, Caldbeck Common, Cumbria
  • Marsden Moor, near Huddersfield, Yorkshire

Management objectives for the Demonstration Moors

  • Enhance sustainable dwarf shrub heath communities
  • Achieve better all-year grazing
  • Maintain and improve bio-diversity
  • Maintain and improve the productivity of domestic animals using heathland
  • Maintain/create "real" [unsubsidised] jobs in the countryside
  • Address cattle/sheep ratios where appropriate
  • Demonstrate on a farm scale how to convert Molinia and Nardus to grass/heath mixtures
  • Improve the standards of pest control insofar as they affect moorland vertebrates
  • Change the sheep and cattle systems - where appropriate - in order to disadvantage sheep ticks Ixodes ricinus and put in hand a revised programme against ticks and tick-borne diseases where possible and appropriate
  • Monitor populations of selected vertebrate species - according to site
  • Monitor gross vegetation changes by fixed point photography
  • Demonstrate accepted best practices of heather burning and cutting
  • Address the problem of loss of heath land from outbreaks of heather beetle Lochmaea suturalis
  • Build up dialogue with stakeholders to facilitate information transfer

Sustainable Moorland Management Project (Oct - Dec 05)

Key points

  • This project was completed on 1 Dec 05

  • The Rural Development Service (RDS) of the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) funded three demonstration events on Upland Farms.

  • The events were held on three different upland farms in the north east region during October and November 2005.

  • A wide range of organisations supported the events and The Heather Trust coordinated their input.

  • The aim of the events was to focus on management practices and discuss key management issues for upland farms. The options available to each farm to maximise income from all sources was also discussed.


Details

The Heather Trust was awarded a contract by the Rural Development Service of DEFRA to run three demonstration events in the north-east region of England. The project formed the Sustainable Moorland Management part of the Regional Farm Demonstration Programme that was drawn up in the context of the England Rural Development Programme, the Curry report on Farming and Food – A Sustainable Future, the Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food, and The Rural Delivery Review (The Haskins Report). The Regional Farm Demonstration Programme comprises a mix of activities on a range of topics, forming six separate projects, which have been let as separate contracts.

Farm demonstration events of relevant topics that fit with national DEFRA policy, are an effective way for farmers to access and share information and advice, and that may allow them to adapt the management of their farms to make best use of the current market conditions, agri-environment support and grant opportunities.

The four partners for this project were: The Heather Trust, The Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS), The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), and The Game Conservancy Trust (GCT). The National Sheep Association, the National Beef Association, the National Farmers Union and the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) also supported the project.

This part of the overall programme provided integrated environmental and economic solutions from the partner and supporting organisations who all had experience of operating on upland and hill farms. Also, it linked relevant research and development to practical farm applications.

This integrated approach to providing farm advice is fundamental to the work of the Trust. The work seeks to make sure that farmers are made aware of the moorland management options, are informed of the rationale behind such options, have the opportunity for discussion, and then have the confidence to implement relevant ideas on their own farms.

Linking the Ling (Oct 03 - Apr 06)

We have obtained funding from the Scottish Executive to work with landowners and occupiers in Nithsdale, Dumfries-shire, predominantly outside the designated areas (SSSI / SPA) to improve the coverage and condition of the heather. In the past much more heather existed and the aim is to prevent further loss and restore some of the links between the remaining patches of heather.

Demonstration events and presentations will take place and people will be invited to attend these events from Nithsdale and beyond. Funding became available in October 2004 and will continue until March 2007.

This period is too short to achieve lasting habitat changes, but this project could lay the foundation for a longer term project.

Additional funding is being sought in order to increase the scope of the work that can be funded and to achieve longer-term benefits. We hope that SNH will be able to provide some funding.

A flyer giving more details about this moorland project can be downloaded here.

The Braan-Almond Group (Aug 02 - Feb 08)

We worked with four estates in the area to the west of Dunkeld in Perthshire. The overall purpose of the Group was to increase the numbers of grouse in the area. We advised the estates and coordinated their efforts to combat the spread of sheep ticks and the associated disease, Louping Ill, which is thought to be a significant factor in the reduction of grouse stocks.

The measures introduced included:

  • Treatment of sheep with acaricides (pour-on treatments and dip) to kill any ticks that came into contact with the sheep;
  • Reducing the number of deer that can spread large numbers of ticks indiscriminately;
  • Vaccination of sheep against Louping Ill;
  • Annual blood tests of a sample of sheep from each flock to monitor the level of Louping Ill; and
  • Habitat management to reduce the area of habitat that is favourable for sheep ticks.

We organised regular meetings for the landowners, factors and estate staff. During these meetings the progress and issues on each estate were discussed with a view to making sure that all estates were achieving the same standards. The work was expensive and the benefits will not be revealed for several years, but there are no short cuts if tick numbers are to be reduced and Louping Ill eradicated. The driving force behind this work was the wish to see grouse shooting restored to these estates, but there will be other important benefits for the condition of the moorland and the other species that live there.