LIFE 02 NAT/UK/8544 New Forest Wetland Management Plan · drains were migrating beyond the...

LIFE 02 NAT/UK/8544 New Forest Wetland Management Plan

4.17

Repair of deeply incised drainagechannels using heather bales. Thedrains were migrating beyond theInclosure boundary causing damageto mire and wet heath habitats onthe open Forest. At its worst pointthe bed level of this drainagechannel was 2.5m deep.


4.9.3 River Restoration Techniques

A) Installation of Log Weirs

Where bed gravels have been scoured and lost from headwater sections of a stream butwhere the solid geology (e.g. underlying clay) is still intact, low log weirs can be installed inthe river bed to act as sediment traps. The weirs capture and retain any gravels that stillremain in that part of the system or that are being washed down from further upstream.They also help to stabalise the bed and prevent erosion and scour progressing furtherupstream. Figure 37 shows how this technique was used successfully at Holmsley.

Figure 37: Use of Log Weirs

Source: Environment Agency

Log Weirs - Holmesley Inclosure

4.18


B) Bed level Raising

Where channels have become over deepened due to scour and erosion it is often necessaryto raise the bed back up to the original level using infill material as closely matched in characterto that originally lost (refer to section 3.4). Local sources of material include:

◆ Local Quarries – e.g. Hamer Warren (Cemex), Pennington (New Milton Sand & Ballast)◆ Areas along the stream network where excess eroded gravels have been deposited ◆ Spoil Heaps

In order to prevent the new material being washed out, malleable clay plugs can be usedin limited areas to form cells to hold the material in place on the upstream side. Over timethe river will naturally sort and regrade the new material into a natural bed form. Whereappropriate, the new raised bed level can be used to re-connect the river into former meanderson the downstream side as described further below.

Good examples of bed level raising can be seen at:

◆ Blackensford Bottom◆ Highland Water

Past attempts to reduce erosion byinfilling with branchwood failed

C) Restoration of flow back into natural meanders

Once bed levels have been raised as appropriate upstream, the channel can be restored toits natural course by the reinstatement of the original channel and old meanders (Figure37).

The design of the meanders where possible should follow the original course of the river bylinking up the old paleomeanders. The course of the old meanders is usually possible totrace through topographic remnants and patterns of organic debris on thefloodplain sup-ported by survey work and reference to historic maps. Excavation of the soil surface oftenreveals the gravels forming the original river bed. Where this is not clear trial holes can alsobe dug to establish original bed levels.

4.19

Bed level raising - Blackensford Brook


Usually it has only been necessary to scrape back the organic debris to reveal the oldsubstrate with an emphasis on under rather than over excavation and a preference for leavingthe river to wash out any remaining excess organic debris.

In order to connect the river to its restored channel the straightened channel is blocked offusing a plug of compacted malleable clay topped off with material from surrounding exca-vations or excavated spoil banks. A similar plug may also be required at the downstreamend if the old channel is being backfilled depending upon location and fisheries issues. Itmay also be necessary to incorporate a v-notch in the downstream plug to facilitate fishpassage. It is important that the plug is set at a high enough level and is big enough todeflect flows into the new restored channel. Experience has shown that clay plugs canbreach when water is allowed spill directly over the plugs during times of flood flow,particularly in the period post restoration before material has had a chance to consolidate.

Once the river has been diverted into its newly restored channel, it is preferable to fill in theold straightened channel with excess material from old spoil banks and material excavatedin the process of restoring the new channel. Although it can take substantial material todo so is preferable to fill in the old channel because:

◆ Leaving the old channel open will cause it to function as a deep ditch drawing in waterfrom the surround floodplain.

◆ At times of raised flow it can act as a long backwater trapping fish when the water levelfalls again. The creation of short backwaters can add diversity and provide large poolsas seen at the lower end of the Highland Water restoration works.

◆ Leaves potential for the new channel to breach back into the old channel especially where the two channels run close to one another and run out of bank during times offlood flow.

◆ Potential safety hazard

Where there is a shortage of fill material, large conifer tree trunks and stumps which wouldotherwise be removed from the floodplain can be used to provide bulk fill before beingcovered with mineral infill. However, consideration needs to be given to any pollution riskfrom the degradation of organic material.

In other sections it may be appropriate to partially infill and/or regrade the channel banksto form shallow hollows or floodplain pools.

4.20


Figure 37: Restoration of natural meanders

Source: Environment Agency

4.21

Constructing clay plug - Markway

Meander restoration - Highland Water


Good examples of channel restoration can be seen at:

◆ Highland Water◆ Rhinefield◆ Markway◆ Dames Slough◆ Blackensford

D) Installation of Debris Dams

As discussed in Section 3.4 debris dams are important components in restoring a river andit’s associated habitats. When considering the use of debris dams as a restoration techniqueit is important to consider the individual river reaches and determine whether they wouldnaturally support debris dams depending upon the nature of the surrounding habitat relativeto the availability of woody debris. For example stream reaches running through openheathland (e.g. Ditchend Brook) are less likely to support the density of debris dams foundin the highly forested catchments such as Highland Water or the lower reaches of theBeaulieu.

It can take tens or even hundreds of years to form dams by natural processes dependingupon the availability of large woody debris (LWD). However, the provision of woody debriscan be accelerated as a by-product of complimentary activities such as pollarding of ash, oakand holly species. The arising can contribute to flood plain flow processes or can help theformation of in-steam debris dams if they are washed into the channel. In order to furthersecure the availability of natural woody debris to supply debris dams it is recommended thatwhere possible natural tree and branch falls are left in situ where they fall on a floodplain.This is in line with the Timber Management Protocol agreed between the EnvironmentAgency, English Nature and the Forestry Commission (Appendix O).

However, the presence of straight, cut material can create an impermeable debris dam thatcan be detrimental to the movement of fish. This is particularly relevant to the harvestingof conifers on the floodplain within Inclosures and in such instances such timber/arisingsshould be removed from the floodplain.

To further aid the natural process, large pieces of woody debris can be introduced into thechannel:

◆ By placing individual pieces of debris in stream using machines◆ Push over adjacent trees so that either the branches or trunk are in the stream◆ Felling adjacent trees but retaining a hinge so that the tree is still alive◆ Digging in live material that has been cut for the purpose, for example willow or alder

When placing woody debris in channel the following general principles need to beconsidered (Mott, 2005):

◆ The length of the pieces should be at least as long as the channel width◆ The diameter needs to at least 0.1m or 5% of the channel width (whichever is the

largest)

4.22


◆ The Large Woody Debris may need to be securely keyed into the bed of the watercourseat an angle of 20o-40o to the channel/flow direction.

◆ In highly wooded catchments, to replicate the natural density of New Forest debris damsit is recommended that very large pieces of woody debris are placed across the channelat 150m intervals. Once a key piece is in place natural processes will do the rest when debris becomes snagged during times of flood flow.

Debris dams can be critical in maintaining and building up bed levels. In some reacheswhere damage is not extreme, bed levels in the existing channel may have remained fairlyconstant. In such locations the strategic placement of debris dams may be the only restorationtechnique required, allowing the river’s own dynamic processes to do the restoration.

Examples of debris dams at work can be found on most of the Forest streams with some keyexamples located:

◆ along the length of Highland Water and Blackwater◆ Queen North Wood - Fritham , Dockens Water

E) Vegetation management including holly management, scrub clearance, grazingand fence realignment

Any forestry works are carried out in accordance with The UK Forestry Standard and asso-ciated Forestry Commission Guidelines

i) Holly Management

Holly management is a seasonal activity which starts in late December, depending upon theseverity of the winter, and continues to the end of February. It is beneficial because it opensup the ground to light and allows regeneration of rare lower plant communities (e.g. lichen)on adjacent oak and beech trees. Preserving the main holly stem protects any rare lichensthat may be colonising the holly. Traditionally, cut holly also provides valuable winter fodderfor grazing ponies. The general treatment methods for Holly is given in Table 4.12.

4.23

In accordance with its former duties, the Forestry Commission has historically beenresponsible for the removal of woody debris to maintain free-flowing watercourses. Thishas been undertaken for many decades and as a consequence the streams of the Forestare impoverished in respect of woody debris. Moving away from the traditional man-agement of woody debris to a more enlightened view has required a cultural shiftamong staff in this organisation. To disseminate the understanding of the role of woodydebris, the Forestry Commission has written a policy document (Appendix N) for the NewForest in consultation with English Nature and the Environment Agency. This has beenpresented to staff to encourage a more sensitive approach to the management ofriparian corridors.


Table 4.12: Holly Treatment Methods

Source: Review of Holly Cutting in the New Forest 1997

4.24

Holly prior to pollarding

Holly post pollarding – holly leaves have

been eaten by ponies

Holly Type

Dense holly < 2m inheightDense holly > 2m inheight but dominated bysmall diameter holly

Older stands dominatedby holly over 15cm (6”) indiameter

Treatment Method

◆ Do not cut◆ Useful for protection for young saplings + not palatable to ponies◆ Cutting good for nature conservation purposes◆ Best cut in blocks of 30-100m across, close to a path to allow ponies to find

the cut holly. ◆ Do not cut holly at the edge of a wood to maintain shelter◆ All holly <10cm (4”) diameter should be coppiced◆ All holly >10cm(4”) diameter should be pollarded◆ Hollies well colonised by lichens (i.e. those with extensive white splashes on

the bark) should be favoured over those with bare bark (i.e with a uniformgreyish brown bark)

◆ Where possible green growth should be left on new pollards◆ Old pollards, especially those >0.3m in diameter should be repollarded

using a safe platform or handtools or left uncut◆ Occasional old Holly trees or Holly grown into the canopy can be left◆ Only cut enough holly per work day in each site that can be eaten by the

ponies before it goes off◆ Leafy material should be cut up and spread◆ If access allows, larger wood can be cut into cordwood lengths (4ft) and left

stacked for removal in the summer

◆ Only cut in series of small scattered sites or isolated specimens◆ Do not cut at the edge of a wood or holm to maintain shelter◆ Where alternatives are available Holly in old woods should be cut instead

of Holly in the open in Holly holms◆ Any small diameter holly can be coppiced, especially near mature trees◆ Maiden hollies should be pollarded at shoulder height◆ On multi-stemmed Holly only 1 or 2 stems should be pollarded◆ Old pollards, especially those >0.3m in diameter should be repollarded

using a safe platform or handtools or left uncut◆ Occasional old Holly trees or Holly grown into the canopy can be left◆ Only cut enough holly per work day in each site that can be eaten by the

ponies before it goes off◆ Leafy material should be cut up and spread◆ If access allows, larger wood can be cut into cordwood lengths (4ft) and left

stacked for removal in the summer


ii) Scrub management

Scrub clearance is generally carried out using chainsaws or tractor-mounted flail.Brushwood is gathered up burnt on site, although the number of burn sites are restrictedto as few as possible to avoid damaging the ground surface. Any cut timber is stacked andleft on site to dry before being sold and removed from site in the spring (if accessible).

4.25

Scrub clearance- Stony Moors


iii) Rhododendron Clearance

Large areas of rhododendron clearance are tackled using an excavator as shown below. Thearisings are burnt and stumps are then treated with Glyphosphate and High Trees MixtureB to prevent regrowth.

iv) Regeneration of alluvial and bog woodland using fence realignment &introduction of grazing

To date the use of deer exclosure plots has been used as standard silviculture practice inpromoting the natural regeneration of native tree species in the New Forest. However, thismethod promotes tree colonisation with a relatively even aged stand structure. Timescalesfor regeneration within exclosure plots operate over far shorter time periods of between 5-10years compared to natural regeneration in unfenced areas that is slow and inconspicuous.However, a review of woodland cover dating back to the 1860’s shows that Riparian andBog woodland has been expanding steadily in key locations over the last 140 years(Sanderson, 2004).

As the key aim of habitat restoration is to regenerate near-natural bog and alluvial woodland,the use of deer exclosure plots has been considered less appropriate. Instead, fences havebeen realigned to open up parts of Inclosures to allow variable but significant grazing pressureand link the habitats back into the floodplain and Open Forest. This technique has a numberof advantages:

◆ It avoids the situation in ungrazed sites where bracken dominates on drier areas preventing the colonisation by trees leaving the wetter areas to become densely colonised by trees. This results in a woodland structure atypical of the existing riparianwoodlands.

◆ The early 19th century Oak plantations provide an existing resource for restoring high quality riparian woodland. However they lack the structural diversity typical of riparianwoodland on the Open Forest, in particular a shrub layer comprising species such as Dogwood, Spindle, Crab Apple, Hazel, Wych Elm, Field Maple and Yew.

◆ Where the aim is to allow the development of riverine and bog woodland with minimalintervention, variable but significant grazing pressure is required to maintain structuraland species diversity. Grazing is essential in controlling invasive species, such as Bracken,

4.26


Molinia and Holly. Inter-linking the stands back into the open forest should allow stock tostray and graze these areas.

◆ Grazing by stock is essential in maintaining the traditional linkages between open mireand bog woodland. For example grazing maintains the quality of the open mire by

reducing molinia dominance and preventing tree growth in all but the wettest areas.

◆ Intact patches of riverine and bog woodland still survive within some of the later Inclosures. These woodlands were “captured” during the formation of the Inclosures and have survived because of protection from clearance under the 1877 New Forest Act.

Examples where fencing re-alignment has taken place include:

◆ Highland Water Inclosure◆ Dames Slough & Burley New Inclosures◆ Wootton Inclosure◆ Vinney Ridge Inclosure ◆ Newlands Plantation

F) Road and track maintenance

In the New Forest wetland restoration work associated with the maintenance of roadsidedrains mainly applies where the watercourse cuts across or through/under a structure. Areaswhere works may need to be carried out include:

◆ Areas where tracks pond the through-flow of water◆ Where water flows across a track and washes out gravels into the surrounding habitat◆ Areas of wetland where a well designed crossing point is required to prevent the spreadof erosion from riders/walkers accessing the area.

Design, construction and maintenance of road and bridges are the responsibility of theForestry Commission Civil Engineering Division.

Good design principles for forestry roads and bridges taking account of the effects on thewater environment are set out in Chapter 6 of the Forest and Water Guidelines.

4.27

Rakes Brakes Bottom Bridge Causeway


4.10 Issues & Actions

Table 4.13 summarises the key wetland restoration issues (identified in Chapter 3) togetherwith potential actions for consideration when identifying future works and formulatingwork plans.

4.28

Ferny KnappCauseway

FURTHER READING

Sanderson N.A., Fencing Proposals Under Life 3 Ecological Report

Environment Agency (2004) Sustainable Wetland Restoration in the New Forest –River Restoration Proposals

Forestry Commission (1997) Review of Holly Cutting in the New Forest

Forestry Commission (2003) Forest & Water Guidelines, Fourth Edition

Mott N. (2005) Managing Woody Debris in Rivers and Streams, StaffordshireWildlife Trust

4.13: Wetland Restoration Issues & Actions Summary Table

Issu

e

Clim

ate

Clim

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Ch

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log

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f th

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dam

age

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rain

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rain

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riv

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bo

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oo

dla

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flo

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NA

ll/St

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old

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PART 5CASE STUDIES


CASE STUDY 1: HOLLY HATCH BOTTOM MIRE RESTORATION

Background

Holly Hatch Bottom (S.U. 224 124) is located on the northern side of Ocknell Plain fromwhere it conveys runoff into the Dockens Water. The valley supports a range of habitattypes including seepage mires, soakway, vegetation, humid & wet heath, wet grassland,scrub and woodland.

Shallow drains have historically been dug at the lower end of the mire/soakway system. Inaddition peripheral drains dug around the adjacent Holly Hatch Inclosure had becomeblocked leading to water being re-routed into the mire drainage system resulting inincreased run off leading to extensive gully and headward erosion.

The restoration proposals aimed to:

◆ Take away the excess runoff from the mire system by re-route the flow from the Inclosure boundary back into its the original drainage ditch adjacent to the Inclosure embankment.

◆ Restore the original bed levels in the stream draining the mire system and repair the headward erosion.

◆ Fell scattered Scots Pine encroaching on the mire system but retaining any landscape character trees

The Works

The works focused on 6 areas as shown on Figure A.

Area 1 – Site of the Inclosure boundary . Works comprised installation of a culvert beneaththe access route into the Inclosure, raising of the upstream drain by 0.3m. On the down-stream side two beech stems obstructing the ditch were removed and general leaf litter andwoody material dredged out.

Area 2 – Removal of incised ditch that was conveying water from the Inclosure boundary tothe mire system. The ditch measured 15 m long by 1-1.3m deep and 1.25-1.5 m wide. Thiswas achieved by infilling the ditch to bank height using staked heather bales and clay plugs.Remnant spoil was scattered over the surface of the bales to aid colonisation.

Area 3 – Upstream channel. At the most upstream nick point the channel was infilled for3-4m down to a stock crossing point followed by infill of a 2mX2m plunge pool created bynick point erosion to within 0.15m of bank height. The downstream 10 m long channelwhich was suffering from subsidence and erosion creating a channel 2.5m wide x 1.2mdeep was infilled to the same level as the plunge pool upstream gradually tapering to 0.3mbelow bank height downstream. This was achieved using staked heather bales and clayplugs.

5.1

LIFE 02 NAT/UK/8544 New Forest Wetland Management Plan · drains were migrating beyond the...

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Transcript of LIFE 02 NAT/UK/8544 New Forest Wetland Management Plan · drains were migrating beyond the...