Heathland Project Report - Summary

Summary points 1-10  11-16  17-18  19-26

left: This former area of dense rhododendron and conifer woodland was cleared to start work on restoring it as a heathland habitat.  This is the site of the Heathland Restoration Project described in this report.

The Heathland Project is concerned with restoring an area of former heathland in the Woodland Education Centre in Offwell, Devon, from conifer and Rhododendron woodland. Different management techniques are being used to identify which is the most appropriate. 

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2. The site selected for heathland regeneration covers an area of just over 2 hectares on the western boundary of the Centre. It is bounded by woodland to the north, south and west. On the eastern boundary is a cutting and path through the Education Centre, with coniferous woodland beyond (map). It lies at an altitude of approximately 200 metres.

3. The heathland project site comprises a hillside sloping down from west to east. It has been divided into nine approximately rectangular sections, with their long axes stretching from west to east (diagram). The sections are not physically separated from each other in any way, but are marked out with wooden boundary markers at appropriate points.

4. The soil substrate is composed of a thin top-soil, overlying greensand, which in some areas is completely exposed and lacking in top-soil. Soil pH varies from 4 - 5 across the site. More Information.

5. The original vegetation cover on the project site consisted of conifers and broad-leaved trees such as Sweet Chestnut, with an understory of Rhododendron. This was completely cleared in 1993. (This work was funded by the Countryside Commission.)

Clearance resulted in an explosion of growth from seed banks previously dormant in the soil. (This would have resulted in only partial depletion of the seed bank, many dormant seeds would still have remained.) The initial regrowth consisted mainly of woodland species which would compete with regenerating heathland vegetation. It was therefore cleared by spraying with Roundup, which is a general purpose herbicide. This rendered the entire project site bare of vegetation, so that initially the site was superficially uniform.

6. The nine sections demarcated on the heathland site are not uniform in terms of size (diagram), nor in terms of flora, since the sections at the boundaries of the area (1,2 and 8,9) will be influenced by adjacent woodland. This may affect both microclimate and soil conditions. These sections are also likely to have greater numbers of tree seedlings becoming established, due to proximity to the woodland. The top (western end) of each section may also be influenced by the deciduous woodland beyond the narrow path forming the boundary.

7. Management Details.