1 Ranscombe Farm Reserve Management Plan SUMMARY Aug13 · Uncommon scrub species – especially burnet rose and sweet-briar – will be kept, provided they occupy no more than 5%

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Draft Management Plan 2013-18 Summary 1

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Draft Management Plan 2013-18 Summary document This document gives a summary of the draft management plan for Ranscombe Farm Reserve for the period 2013 to 2018. The aim of the document is to give a clear indication of what management work is proposed, including both ongoing and new work, and the reasoning behind it. It is hoped that this will allow readers to get an idea how Ranscombe might change over the five years of the plan.

A full, detailed version of the management plan, upon which this document is based, is also available.

Contents

1. About Ranscombe Farm Reserve .............................................................................................................. 2

2. Managing the farmed environment ......................................................................................................... 4

3. Managing grassland ................................................................................................................................... 6

4. Managing woodland ................................................................................................................................... 8

5. Managing for people ................................................................................................................................ 10

6. Making management more effective ..................................................................................................... 12

7. Managing our obligations ........................................................................................................................ 13


1. About Ranscombe Farm Reserve

Ranscombe Farm Reserve is located to the north of the village of Cuxton and west of the town of Strood. It covers 268 hectares (662 acres) of farmland, woodland and grassland, and is managed in partnership by Plantlife and Medway Council.

106 hectares of the site lie within the Cobham Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the citation document for which notes that “This woodland … is representative of woods in North Kent which occur in part on acidic Thanet Sands and in part on chalk soils. One nationally rare plant species occurs in the arable land close to the wood. An outstanding assemblage of plants is present at this site which is also of importance for its breeding birds.”

Just over 33 hectares of the site is recognised as an Important Plant Area (IPA). The IPA description notes that “Ranscombe Farm has long been famed amongst botanists as one of the richest sites for arable plants in the UK. Notable plants include the UK’s largest population of the Nationally Rare broad-leaved cudweed, the first British locality for rough marsh-mallow and local and rare species such as ground pine, rough poppy, narrow-fruited cornsalad and Venus’s looking-glass.”

Mill Hill South is recognised as a Local Wildlife Site by the Kent Biodiversity Partnership.

The whole site lies within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and most falls within Kent Downs AONB Landscape Character area 6 (Medway - Birling to Cuxton; Wouldham to Aylesford), important for its wooded upper scarps, wide views across the river, rolling, intensively cultivated fields, swathes of dense mixed woodland and mosaic of unimproved grassland and scrub.

Ranscombe Farm Reserve (outlined red). Greyed-out area is privately-owned land.


Over 350 different wildflowers, shrubs and trees have been recorded from Ranscombe Farm. Of these, 22 have some kind of national or local nature conservation status: Ranscombe is the most important site in Britain for the endangered broad-leaved cudweed, and may support the only remaining native population of corncockle in Britain. More than 200 species of moth have been recorded, 30 butterfly species (including silver-washed fritillary), 65 species of bird (including skylark, linnet and nightjar), and 15 species of mammal (including dormouse and fallow deer).

The site has a number of features or archaeological and/or historical interest. The Historic Environment Register records ring ditch crop-marks in Brockles Field, chalk pits close to the North Downs Way, and Palaeolithic finds close to the current farm buildings. There have also been significant finds of Mesolithic worked flints and finds of Neolithic worked flints, and there is evidence of early cultivation in the form of lynchets on sloping valley sides. The pattern of tracks and field boundaries appears to go back to at least the early 1600s, and there is evidence of vanished habitations.

Ranscombe Farm Reserve immediately abuts the village of Cuxton to the south and Strood (and the rest of the Medway Towns) to the east. There is therefore a large catchment population for the site and it is regularly used by visitors.

Although there is currently no quantitative data on visitor use of the site, day-time use appears to be very light and consist mainly of dog walkers. More visitors attend at weekend and evenings, particularly in the summer, and are dependent on good weather. Main users are probably the immediate local resident walkers and ramblers, though visitor numbers appear to have increased through the recent HLF project, with numbers travelling by car and using the main car park entrance.

The site’s size and undulating land-form, together with the extent and layout of the site’s woodlands, means that it is likely to be possible to accommodate substantially higher visitor numbers without losing a sense of tranquillity and isolation. There are more than 16km (10 miles) of paths (including public footpaths and permissive paths) on the site.

Ranscombe Farm Reserve

Private land

Part of Cobham Woods SSSI

Ranscombe Farm IPA

IPA & SSSI

Local Wildlife Site

Path

Crown copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence No. 100032779


2. Managing the farmed environment

Why is this important? Arable farmland makes up around 110ha (40%) of Ranscombe Farm Reserve. Arable fields are shaded orange on the above map.

Rare wildflowers associated with arable farming are the most important aspect of the wildlife interest of Ranscombe Farm Reserve, and the site is recognised as an Important Plant Area because of the rare farmland plants it supports. Nationally rare and threatened species include: Broad-leaved cudweed Narrow-fruited cornsalad Stinking chamomile Prickly poppy

Ground-pine Corncockle Rough mallow

Other important species include: Blue pimpernel Rough poppy Venus’s looking-glass

Rye brome Dense-flowered fumitory

Other farmland wildlife includes breeding skylarks and linnets, and wintering meadow pipits.

The arable land at Ranscombe is farmed by a tenant farmer, for whom the site is an important part of his farm business. Our ambitions to improve the site for wildlife therefore need to be balanced with the need to have an economically viable arable farm, and most of the arable farmland will remain conventionally farmed for the period of this management plan.

LH

Arable land Existing conservation arable

New conservation arable

KF = Kitchen Field LH = Longhoes Field

KF



What are our aims? Our objective is to maximise the quality and extent of arable land managed for arable flora, particularly in order to maintain and enhance populations of key wild plant species.

This will include experimenting with techniques to enhance populations of key arable plants and reduce weed load within arable areas managed for conservation.

What will we continue to do? Manage Kitchen Field (KF on the map) (approx 5ha) and Longhoes Field (LH on the map) (approx 4ha) for

wildflowers of arable farmland, cultivating both fields every year.

Manage the margins of many of the arable fields for wildflowers of arable farmland, cultivating them every year, but not sowing with a crop.

What will we do that’s new? We will work with our tenant farmer to establish a further 6ha of farmland to be managed primarily for rare

arable wildflowers.

We will work with our tenant farmer to establish a significant increase in the length of field margins managed for rare arable wildflowers. This will involve a reduction in the length of field margins managed as grassland, where we have not seen an increase in wildflowers.

We will work with our tenant farmer to see if variations in management (e.g. cultivation in spring rather than autumn, or ploughing rather than minimum tillage) can benefit a wider range of plants.

We will explore the best ways to manage damaging weeds, which can build up in fields managed for wildflowers.

We will look at the possibility of winter grazing of stubbles in field managed for arable wildflowers.

How we will know if the changes are working? We already have good data on where the most important wildflowers are found, and their numbers. We will

continue to monitor populations of the most important species every year.

We will do our best to set up a scheme for monitoring farmland birds.


3. Managing grassland Why is this important? Grassland occupies about 31ha (12%) of the reserve. The largest block is Brockles Field, 23ha of grassland which arose as a result of arable land going into set-aside in the 1990s. Another large block of nearly 7ha in the south-east of the reserve was sown during the 1980s to provide grazing for livestock. Smaller areas occur at Mill Hill and on the southern edge of Birch Wood, just above Kitchen Field.

Most of the reserve’s grassland is chalk grassland. This is a rare habitat (Kent has around 1,600ha of chalk grassland, compared with over 45,000ha of woodland) for which the North Downs is very important. Nationally important plants associated with grassland at Ranscombe include man orchid, meadow clary and rough mallow, while plants rare in Kent include clustered bellflower and burnet rose.

Flower-rich grassland is important for insects and other animals. The nationally scarce rufous grasshopper is found in grassland at Mill Hill, while Brockles Field supports a number of common butterfly species, including Marbled White, as well as Viviparous Lizard and a number of territory-holding Skylarks.

There is evidence that the grassland was once much more extensive at Mill Hill and on the southern edge of Birch Wood, but that it has been substantially reduced by scrub and tree encroachment over the 20th Century.

What are our aims? We aim to significantly increase the extent and quality of wildflower grassland, as well as retaining and restoring existing semi-natural grassland. We will be especially concerned with plants which are rare or threatened nationally or at county level, but will also be aiming to improve habitats for insects, reptiles, birds and other grassland wildlife.

This will include making sure our grassland is varied in structure, including by retaining and managing limited patches of scrub where appropriate, and the creation of disturbed areas and bare ground.

Existing grassland New grassland

Brockles

Twenty Acre



What will we continue to do? Manage the chalk grassland at Mill Hill and on the southern edge of Birch Wood by cutting at the end of

the summer flowering season, and then removing all the cuttings. Uncommon scrub species – especially burnet rose and sweet-briar – will be kept, provided they occupy no more than 5% of the grassland area.

Cut the vegetation around each existing patch of meadow clary, to a distance of at least 2m, in early July (before the seed drops) and then disturb or cultivate the soil, either by hand or by machine.

What will we do that’s new? We will trial cutting the chalk grassland at Mill Hill in spring, to see if this will reduce the dominance of

coarse grasses and encourage chalk grassland wildflowers.

We will continue to remove scrub in and around the grassland area at the southern edge of Birch Wood. This will include keeping the older trees, but removal of around 50% of woody cover to the west of the public footpath, and opening of gaps along the boundary with Kitchen Field. We will look at connecting this area with new grassland in Twenty Acre Field, so that it can be grazed.

We will consult with others with the aim of putting together plans to start extending the area of grassland at Mill Hill. This will include removing invasive birch trees and clearing scrub over about 0.25ha (0.6 acre) to restore the grassland lost over the last 100 years.

We will start grazing Brockles Field with cattle or other livestock. This will include subdividing the field into two sections, by putting in a new fence where it will impact least on the open landscape. We will also install a supply of drinking water.

We will allow at least 1% and up to 3% of Brockles Field to develop as dense scrub in at least 2 separate patches, as habitat for birds, reptiles and insects.

We will create new grassland in Twenty Acre field (shown pink on the map above), especially as a way of increasing the population of meadow clary. This will include fencing the field, installing a water supply and grazing using cattle or other livestock. There will not be public access to this field.

We will experiment with limited artificial disturbance of grassland, for example by harrowing, rotovating or ploughing, as a way of encouraging rare plants in Brockles Field and the new Twenty Acre grassland. This will be subject to securing the necessary permissions.

How we will know if the changes are working? We already have good data on where the most important wildflowers are found, and their numbers. We will

continue to monitor populations of the most important species every year.

We will monitor the development of grassland vegetation at Brockles Field to check that it is developing as flower-rich chalk grassland. We will also monitor vegetation structure.

We will make measure patches of scrub in Brockles Field by plotting the boundaries using hand-held GPS.

We will record the important plants that appear in areas of disturbed ground, and photograph disturbed areas to show how the vegetation develops.


4. Managing woodland Why is this important? Woodland and scrub covers around 128ha (48%) of the reserve. The bulk of the woodland is in the north of the reserve, in Cobham Woods, and this has been heavily modified (probably in the 18th or 19th Centuries) through restocking with Sweet Chestnut. Most of the woodland at Ranscombe is ancient, though there is some secondary woodland and scrub, particularly in the southern part of the reserve: much of Mill Hill Woods developed during the 20th Century.

The woodland flora is varies with the underlying geology, with different flora being associated with sands and gravels, clay-with-flints, and chalk. Woodland gaps and margins are particularly important, supporting nationally important plants such as lady orchid, fly orchid and common cudweed, and county rarities such as trailing tormentil and hoary cinquefoil.

The bulk of the woodland is coppice, and large standard trees are relatively scarce. They include an avenue of hornbeams through Cobham Woods, and some large beech which are associated with populations of white helleborine.

The woods are considered important for birds, with nightjar being recorded, and dormice are also known to occur in many parts of the site.

What are our aims? We aim to improve the woodland for wildflowers and other wildlife by increasing temporary and permanent gaps, and linking them up. This will include coppicing on 15 year rotation, and creating a network of glades and wide rides with scrubby margins. This will also include the creation of disturbed areas, bare ground and temporary or permanent ponds. We will aim to introduce limited grazing by cattle into Mill Hill and parts of Cobham Woods

Woodland Recent woodland planting Existing rides and glades

New rides and glades



We will increase the abundance of native tree species, particularly by reducing dominance of chestnut and removing sycamore. All large, old trees will be kept (unless clearly unsafe), and trees selected to replace these in the future. The amount of standing and fallen dead wood will be increased by keeping a proportion of felled timber on site and deliberate creation of standing dead wood where appropriate.

What will we continue to do? Manage almost all the woodland by active coppicing. All existing standard trees and a selection of

potential standard trees will be retained to achieve a density of 15 standard trees to the hectare.

At Mill Hill, where the conifer plantation was recently cleared, regeneration of native woodland will be encouraged, though with two glades retained.

All native sapling trees will be retained within existing and new rides for at least 20 years, when they may be thinned.

At least 20% of brush wood from coppicing will be retained on site as dead wood.

We will continue to remove invasive sycamore and buddleia.

What will we do that’s new? The amount coppiced each year will be increased from around 5ha to around 6ha, to shorten the rotation

to about 15 years. Within coppice areas, regrowth of chestnut will be controlled over selected areas, in order to encourage regeneration of native trees.

New native standards, especially oak, will be established at 10 per hectare. Where necessary, chestnut regrowth will be controlled around potential future standards to avoid them being shaded out.

Using existing survey data, we will take action to conserve the most important veteran trees, including by clearing a ‘halo’ of coppice around trees that have become too enclosed.

Create an addition 3.2ha of open rides, ensuring that open ground makes up no more than 10% of the woodland area. New widening of rides will be planned to benefit existing standards by opening up the woodland around them. We will experiment with creating limited areas of disturbed ground in the ride network, in order to encourage associated wild plants and other wildlife.

We will start managing woodland edges to create scrubby margins, with the aim of bringing up to 4km of woodland edges into management by 2022.

At Mill Hill, we will create more open woodland and encourage spread of beech woodland by selectively removing mature sycamore (plus some smaller beech and ash where necessary) over a ten-year period. Up to 20% of stems will be ring-barked to create standing dead wood where it is safe to do so.

We will aim to link open space in woodland with grassland areas by introducing controlled grazing into Mill Hill and parts of Cobham Woods.

How we will know if the changes are working? We will continue to monitor populations of the most important woodland wildflowers.

We will support monitoring of dormice by local volunteers.

We will work to establish a programme for monitoring important woodland birds.

We will continue and expand our fixed-point photographic monitoring, so that we can check on regeneration following coppicing and ride-creation.


5. Managing for people Why is this important? Ranscombe is on the edge of the Medway Towns, which has a population of over 260,000, and is immediately adjacent to a part of Strood which is recognised as having a deficit of open space. Ranscombe therefore provides important open space for Strood and (given that it is larger than Capstone Farm Country Park and Riverside Country Park combined) for all of Medway and adjacent parts of North Kent. Medway Council’s Wildlife, Countryside and Open Space Strategy 2008-2016 concludes that there is a need to 'sell' the value of countryside sites to encourage more visits, and to improve communication and signing of these sites. The adjacent part of Strood has a younger than average population, and there is considerable potential to engage young families. In that part of Strood, a lower than average number people over sixteen have a qualification.

What are our aims? We aim to improve the accessibility and attractiveness of Ranscombe Farm Reserve for quiet recreation and enjoyment of the natural environment and landscape. This will include improving the quality, safety, cleanliness, and ease of use of gates and other access points, paths, and direction signs. We want to provide people with information on how to get to, and get around, the site, including identifying easier routes for the less mobile or those with young children. We also want to inform them about the site’s natural history and other heritage interest, as well as news on events, site management, and so on.

We aim to get local people actively involved with the site, especially by encouraging school visits, providing opportunities for adult learning (for example, through training events), creating more opportunities for volunteers to become involved in site management, events, wardening and other activities, and by making it easier for people to communicate with Plantlife about the site.

Footpath

Shared-use path (walkers/cyclists/horses)

Major entrance Other entrance Existing info board New info board



What will we continue to do? We will maintain the network of 10 miles of paths, including permissive cycle/horse routes, together with

their way-marking signs, gates and seats.

We will maintain the site’s information boards, and provide up-to-date contact details, maps and other information using the notice-boards on site.

Our web pages will be kept up-to-date, and we will keep communicating with people through a newsletter and Facebook page.

We will provide information on the site and its wildlife, landscape and historical interest in leaflets and via our website.

We will run a programme of events each year, including at least one annual open day, making sure that these focus on increasing people’s understanding of the site and its heritage interest, and should include elements of more formal training and education.

We will provide walks and talks for groups interested in finding out more about the site.

What will we do that’s new? We will provide new seating where most needed.

We will provide new signs: one giving information about Kitchen Field and its arable plants, the well and other historical features; and the other giving information on Brockles Field and its management.

We will provide information to help families visit and enjoy the site.

We will maintain contacts with local schools, lead a number of visits for schools every year, and provide materials to help schools visit and use the site

We will create new ways for volunteers to be involved, not just in practical habitat management but also as volunteer wardens, as wildlife surveyors and as helpers with events.

We will look at ways of making Ranscombe more accessible for people who might find access more difficult, such as wheelchair-users and parents with young children in buggies. We will talk to local access groups when drawing up plans.

We will seek resources to carry out improvements to the entrances from Elgin Gardens in Strood and from Whiteleaves Rise in Cuxton, to make them more attractive and more easily accessible.

We will identify where additional car-parking and events space might best be accommodated with the minimum impact on the site.

How we will know if the changes are working? We will keep track of the numbers of people attending events and the number of children coming on school

visits.

We will develop systems for measuring visitor satisfaction and teacher satisfaction.


6. Making management more effective

Why is this important? Because of the large size of Ranscombe Farm Reserve, our management needs to be smart, efficient and cutting edge. But in pursuing this future vision, we must not lose sight of the history and heritage which makes the site unique.

What are our aims? We aim to make our management cost-efficient, minimising the net cost, while still meeting all the aims set out in the rest of the management plan. We want to explore how extending low-intensity grazing into other parts of the site might help maintain small grassland patches and woodland open space, and help plants move through the landscape. We aim to conserve the site’s important historical features, including the historic pattern of tracks, field boundaries and woodland boundaries.

What will we do that’s new? We will prepare a map showing locations of all identified historical features, together with notes on each

feature, including any recommendations to avoid loss or damage.

We will assess the potential effect of extending grazing into Mill Hill Wood, and possibly other woodland areas, including how it might affect the habitat and the impact on visitors.

We will look at extending grazing from Twenty Acre field into the adjacent grassland patch on the south side of Cobham Woods.

We will put together a plan for limited extension of surfaced forest tracks into Cobham Woods, and for increasing the area available for storing timber, in order to make our coppice management more effective and flexible, and to limit damage to paths from heavy timber-extraction vehicles.

We will investigate the possibility of providing secure, on-site storage for timber and for equipment, for example, using shipping containers. This will involve further consultation and consideration of whether it can be done without having a negative impact on the landscape.

We will make sure we work with partners on these plans, and secure all necessary permissions before going ahead.


Areas to be grazed soon

Possible future grazing areas

Potential stubble grazing Existing surfaced track

Potential future surfaced track

Potential storage containers

Potential log storage areas


7. Managing our obligations

What are our aims? We will meet all legal and other obligations, including making sure the site is safe and secure, maintaining and improving the condition of Cobham Woods SSSI, acting as a good neighbour, and ensuring that we meet the needs of funders and other partner bodies.

What will we continue to do? We will inspect all boundaries, access points, paths, stiles, fences and gates at least once each year to

ensure that they are in a safe condition and useable, and carry out any necessary repairs.

Inspect all trees along paths and site boundaries at least once a year, and carry out any necessary tree safety work

Clear all remaining dumped material and rubbish from the site, and regularly litter-pick key areas, particularly around site entrances.

Make sure our work and activities are carried out in a safe manner, and ensure contractors also work safely.

Maintain regular liaison meetings with Medway Council, Ranscombe Farm residents and other partners and neighbours.

For all funded projects, ensure that delivery and reporting requirements are fully understood and are built into work programmes.

Produce an annual report summarising achievements and delivery of work programme including species monitoring in order to track progress towards delivery of the site management objectives for access and biodiversity.

Documents

1 Ranscombe Farm Reserve Management Plan SUMMARY Aug13 · Uncommon scrub species – especially burnet rose and sweet-briar – will be kept, provided they occupy no more than 5%