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restoration of species-ri floodplain meadows and washlands in the Ouse rgaret Pilkington th Will Pilfold, Andrew Holmes, Nick S cqui Hutson and Christine Zaniewicka E, University of Sussex

Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

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The Restoration of Species-rich Floodplain Meadows and Washlands in the Ouse

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Page 1: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

The restoration of species-rich floodplain meadows andwashlands in the Ouse

Margaret Pilkington with Will Pilfold, Andrew Holmes, Nick Steer, Jacqui Hutson and Christine ZaniewickaCCE, University of Sussex

Page 2: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

The River Ouse ProjectAim: restoration of flower-rich grassland along the river Ouse in Sussex

Page 3: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

The River Ouse Project

Aim: restoration of flower-rich grassland along the river Ouse in Sussex

Ecological survey combined

with historical land-use research (both documents and oral history)

Picture of meadow grasslandbefore agricultural improvement

through to present-day

To inform restoration decisions

Page 4: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Species-rich MeadowsMG5 Crested dogstail – Common knapweed grassland

Page 5: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Cultivation and fieldnames as recorded at Tithe Apportionment Survey (researched by Nick Steer).

Page 6: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

G re at R ac ks w oo dG re at R ac ks w oo d

Soles C oppice

Nort hlands wood

Seyron Wood

Long Wood

Li tt le Sion Wood

Furl and Wood

Sands Wood 1

Sands Wood 2

SF2

Great W et Wood

Darv e l Wood

Roc k y W oodSharp' s H anger

Paiges Wood

Furnac e Wood

Hendal l Wood

Reeding's W ood

1

2

3

4

5

12 3

4

Shortbridge Stream

Brown's Brook

Annwood Brook

Cockhaise Brook

Danehill Brook

Cob Brook Hook Ghyll

River Ouse

Scrase Stream

River Ouse

Ardingly reservoir

Tickerage

Uck

Heron's Ghyll

Uck

Barcombe

N

Stream System in Upper Ouse

Page 7: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Connected Landscape of flower-rich grasslandalong Cockhaise Brook in Upper Ouse.

Page 8: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Species-rich Meadows

• Biodiversity Action Plan target habitat

Page 9: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Species-rich Meadows• Biodiversity Action Plan target habitat

• But they have gone on vanishing

Page 10: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Species-rich Meadows• Biodiversity Action Plan target habitat

• But they have gone on vanishing

97% species-rich grassland lost since 1930.(Natural England, 2011. Lost Life.)

Page 11: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Species-rich Meadows• Biodiversity Action Plan target habitat

• But they have gone on vanishing

• Value?

Page 12: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Species-rich Meadows• Biodiversity Action Plan target habitat

• But they have gone on vanishing

• Value?

Ecosystem Services

Page 13: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Ecosystem ServicesEcosystem Services: “the benefits provided by

ecosystems that contribute to making human life both

possible and worth living” (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005).

Page 14: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Ecosystem ServicesEcosystem Services: “the benefits provided by

ecosystems that contribute to making human life both

possible and worth living” (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005).

For streamside meadows:

Wildflowers and pollinators

Page 15: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Cultivation and fieldnames as recorded at Tithe Apportionment Survey (researched by Nick Steer).

Page 16: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Cockhaise Brook

Caseford Bottomon Cockhaise Brook

Page 17: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington
Page 18: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Cockhaise Brook

Caseford Bottomon Cockhaise Brook

Page 19: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington
Page 20: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Broad Mead, Sheffield Park

Meadow grassland

River Ouse

Page 21: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Broad Mead, Sheffield Park

Rush area

Meadow grassland

River Ouse

Page 22: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

• flood for 2-3 days

• are ideal for flood alleviation because they quickly become available to store water again

• were hay meadows

• have free-draining soil

Flash Washlands on the Sussex Ouse:

Page 23: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

“Two days after … I’ve drove a tractor over it and you wouldn’t see where I’ve been.”

(farmer interviewed by Andrew Holmes in 2007)

Page 24: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Ecosystem ServicesEcosystem Services: “the benefits provided by

ecosystems that contribute to making human life both

possible and worth living” (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005).

For streamside meadows:

Wildflowers and pollinators

Flood alleviation

Page 25: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Detailed NVC surveys on over 80 sites

Page 26: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Iron Gates

Page 27: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Iron Gates

Iron Gates lock

boundary Sheffield Park

river Ouse

Broad Mead

Sheffield Park

Sheffield Park Garden

Pro je ct ar ea. sh pOu se 3.s hp

0.4 0 0.4 0.8 Miles

N

Sheffield Park riverside meadows

Page 28: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

1816 Estate Map

Page 29: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Cultivation and fieldnames as recorded at Tithe Apportionment Survey 1840-1 (researched by Nick Steer).

Page 30: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

“The Iron Gates, in my day [1948-1974]

we always made hay…Because the

grass there was a very fine grass and

made beautiful soft hay, very suitable

for feeding to calves.” (97 year old farmer interviewed by Andrew Holmes in 2007)

Page 31: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

“When I came here, the Iron Gates was full of cowslips and as soon as I applied some fertiliser, the cowslips disappeared completely and have never come back.”

(97 year old farmer interviewed by Andrew Holmes in 2007)

Page 32: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Grassland Vegetation Diagram (adapted from NVC)

flower-rich hay meadow (MG5)Knapweed – Crested dogstail grasslandIron Gates pre-1949

semi-improved grassland (MG6)Ryegrass – Crested dogstail grasslandIron Gates 1949-

chemicalfertiliser

Page 33: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Iron Gates… is incredibly free draining….we weren’t allowed to plough as part of the tenancy …. But what we did do back in, must have been 1998, …we actually burnt off the grass ….and direct-drilled grass seed in because the productivity of the grass wasn’t very great. It made great hay, but I didn’t want to make hay I wanted silage.

(farmer’s son interviewed by Andrew Holmes in 2007)

Page 34: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Grassland Vegetation Diagram (adapted from NVC)

flower-rich hay meadow (MG5)Knapweed – Crested dogstail grasslandIron Gates pre-1949

semi-improved grassland (MG6)Ryegrass – Crested dogstail grasslandIron Gates 1949-1998

chemicalfertiliser

sown agricultural grassland (MG7)Ryegrass leys Iron Gates 1998

re-seeded

Page 35: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Came really well ... and then we had the

floods of 2000…, and that killed most of it

off and it was very patchy thereafter.

Whereas the bit that hadn’t been

reseeded recovered ‘cos it was obviously

used to being under water.(farmer’s son interviewed by Andrew Holmes in 2007)

Page 36: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

View of Iron Gates looking north-east, December 2007

River Ouse

Page 37: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Iron Gates about to flood, 6 December 2009

Page 38: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Iron Gates floodedJanuary 2009

Page 39: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Grassland Vegetation Diagram (adapted from NVC)

flower-rich hay meadow (MG5)Knapweed – Crested dogstail grasslandIron Gates pre-1949

semi-improved grassland (MG6)Ryegrass – Crested dogstail grasslandIron Gates 1949-1998

chemicalfertiliser

sown agricultural grassland (MG7)Ryegrass leys Iron Gates 1998

re-seeded

MG7d Ryegrass – Meadow foxtail

Iron Gates 2007Ryegrass >10% coverBent grass constantMG5 species present

Page 40: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Grassland Vegetation Diagram (adapted from NVC)

flower-rich hay meadow (MG5)Knapweed – Crested dogstail grasslandIron Gates pre-1949

semi-improved grassland (MG6)Ryegrass – Crested dogstail grasslandIron Gates 1949-1998

chemicalfertiliser

sown agricultural grassland (MG7)Ryegrass leys Iron Gates 1998

re-seeded

MG7d Ryegrass – Meadow foxtail

Iron Gates 2007Ryegrass >10% coverBent grass constantSome MG5 spp present

Enhancement with wildflowerplugs and seed

Page 41: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Putting back the meadow flowers

plant plugs?

or

wildflower

seed?

Page 42: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Putting back themeadow flowers

National Trust at Sheffield Park

Weald Landscape Trust

Kew at Wakehurst

CCE, University of Sussex

Page 43: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Total Area:70m by 120m

Page 44: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Conclusions from 2 years of field trial

Plugs not seed:birdsfoot trefoilselfhealragged robin

Seed OK:yarrowcowslipoxeye

Cowslip plug 6 December 2009

Page 45: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Conclusions from 2 years of field trial

Plugs not seed:birdsfoot trefoilselfhealragged robin

Seed OK:yarrowcowslipoxeye

Common knapweed? - may be slow to germinate

Page 46: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Restoring 20 hectaresof washland meadowalong the river Ouse

Esmee Fairburn

Sussex Wildlife Trust

Kew at Wakehurst

Weald Landscape Trust

CCE, University of Sussex

Page 47: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Restoring 20 hectaresof washland meadowalong the river Ouse

Esmee Fairburn

4 sites

Wildflower seed collected by Kew

6,000 plugs grown from this seed

10% of each site planted and sown

Green hay to be spread

Page 48: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Plug-planting in Iron Gates West22 September 2011

Page 49: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Sowing WMI seed in Buckham Hill Brooks4 November 2011

Page 50: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Future Work:

Plugs for difficult species Flood alleviation for Uckfield

Page 51: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

And what about the otherSussex Rivers?

Page 52: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

Special thanks to our survey volunteers without whom this research would not have been possible:Frank BidnallPeter Heeley Shirley JonesSuzie LockyerMike LuscombeJennie MartenLeonie MercerMichael Nailard Frances Parrish Robin PepperFabae ProdgerJohn Prodger Helen Proctor Sue Rubinstein Shirley SiemsPauline Trotter Janet WirdnamJon Wood

Page 53: Sussex Wetland Conference: Margaret Pilkington

and The Leverhulme Trustfor funding us from 2006-2008