Section 4 - Technical guidance - Heathland and moorland
| Feature | Feature detail | Unit of measurement |
|---|---|---|
| M01 - Grass moorland and rough grazing | - | hectare |
| M02 - Fragmented heath | - | hectare |
| M03 - Lowland heathland - BAP habitat | - | hectare |
| M04 - Upland heath - BAP habitat | Wet | hectare |
| Dry | hectare | |
| Grip | hectare | |
| M05 - Montane heath | - | hectare |
| M06 - Blanket bog - BAP habitat | Grip | hectare |
| M07 - Upland cliffs and screes | - | hectare |
| M08 - Upland valley mires, springs and flushes | - | hectare |
See also:
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This section is for habitat features of unenclosed moorland, species-poor enclosed grassland in the Less Favourable Areas (LFA) and lowland heathland only. For species-rich enclosed grasslands in uplands use the features in the grassland section.
Several species of interest (pages 98-100) are associated with moorland and heathland habitats.
M01 - Grass moorland and rough grazing
- Unenclosed acid grassland in moorland grazing units and enclosed species-poor acid grassland in the Less Favourable Areas (LFA), typically dominated by bent and fine- leaved fescue grasses, mat grass, heath rush and purple moor-grass.
- Generally on shallow (less than 0.5 metre) peat.
- Dwarf shrubs generally absent or, if present, less than frequent.
Condition assessment
Not required.
M02 - Fragmented heath
- Relict upland heath, generally in a mosaic with acid grassland.
- Less than 25% dwarf-shrub cover, but with dwarf shrubs frequent.
- Potentially restorable to upland heath through reduced grazing and burning.
Condition assessment
Not required.
M03 - Lowland heathland - BAP habitat
- Dry heath, wet heath and valley mire communities, usually below 250 metres, on acidic soils and shallow peat, typically comprising heathers, gorses, fine grasses, wild flowers and lichens in a complex mosaic.
- Usually with at least 25% cover of heathers and other dwarf shrubs.
Condition assessment
- Cover of dwarf shrubs must be between 25% and 95%, with at least two species frequent.
- There must be a range of age classes of heather present, with cover of young (pioneer stage) heather between 10% and 15% and cover of old (mature/degenerate stages) between 10% and 30%.
- Cover of undesirable species (bracken, injurious weeds, invasive non-native plants) must be less than 10%.
- Cover of trees/scrub must be less than 15%.
Note
Areas of Fen and Lowland Raised Bog should be recorded as W04 and W06, respectively.
M04 - Upland heath - BAP habitat
- Heath vegetation with at least 25% cover of dwarf shrubs (heathers, bilberry, crowberry and western gorse).
- Usually found on unenclosed moorland above 250 metres, though can occur in larger enclosures (allotments and intakes) generally within the Moorland Line. Generally on well-drained, nutrient-poor acid soils including shallow (less than 0.5 metre) peat.
- If there is a mixture of heath and grassland record both features and estimate how much of each is present in the land parcel.
Feature detail
Wet: characterised by frequent cross-leaved heath and wetland species such as bog-mosses (Sphagnum) and/or purple moor-grass, heath rush and deergrass.
Dry: drier vegetation without these wet heath species.
Grip: record presence of grips in the feature detail box and the estimated linear length per hectare in the notes column if they occur on the site.
Condition assessment
- Cover of dwarf shrubs must be at least 75% for dry heath or 25-75% for wet heath, with at least two dwarf shrub species frequent.
- At least 10% of the area of dwarf-shrub heath remains unburnt throughout the burning rotation.
- There must be a range of age classes of heather present, with cover of young (pioneer stage) heather between 25% and 50% and cover of old (mature/degenerate stages) between 10% and 30%.
- No more than 33% of heather shoots grazed (when assessed between February and April), or flowering heather plants are at least frequent in autumn.
M05 - Montane heath
- Dry heath, above the natural tree-line (c.600 metres), including prostrate dwarf-shrub heath, sedge and rush heath, moss heath and snow-bed communities.
- Characterised by arctic-alpine species such as stiff sedge, crowberry, dwarf willow, woolly fringe-moss and bushy (Cladonia) lichens.
- Does not include calcareous grassland, fens and springs, blanket bog and rocky habitats in the montane zone.
Condition assessment
- At least one species of dwarf shrub and at least one species of moss, liverwort or lichen frequent.
- Cover of positive indicator species (dwarf shrubs, common juniper, dwarf willow, woolly fringe-moss, bushy (Cladonia) lichens, alpine lady's-mantle, stiff sedge, mat-grass and wavy hair-grass) at least 25% for moss heath or 66% for dwarf shrub heath.
- No more than 10% of indicator species' leaves or 20% of heather shoots (latter ideally when assessed in February - April) should be grazed.
- No signs of burning.
M06 - Blanket bog - BAP habitat
- Upland wetland vegetation, generally on at least 0.5 metre depth of flat or gently-sloping blanket peat, usually on unenclosed moorland.
- Characterised by bog-mosses (Sphagnum) and cotton-grasses, especially hare's-tail cotton-grass, and a mix of deergrass, purple moor-grass and dwarf shrubs (especially cross-leaved heath and heather).
Feature detail
Grip (see 'M04 - Upland heath - BAP habitat' for definition, page 77).
Condition assessment
- Cover of bog-mosses (Sphagnum) at least 33%, with less than 10% damaged (dead/bleached or crushed/broken/pulled).
- Cover of dwarf shrubs between 33% and 75% (except when bog-mosses (Sphagnum) are dominant), with at least two dwarf shrub species frequent.
- Flowering cotton-grass plants frequent (where present) in spring or flowering heather plants are at least frequent (where present) in autumn.
- Cover of grasses and sedges and rushes less than 75%.
M07 - Upland cliffs and screes
- Vegetation growing out of crevices, cracks and ledges on exposed rocks, including cliffs, scree, rubble and rocky slopes, within moorland grazing units.
- Vegetation may be sparse or thick and is generally dominated by herbs, grasses, ferns, mosses or lichens.
Note
See also 'L01 - Limestone pavement' (page 92) and 'G10 - Calaminarian grassland' (page 69).
Condition assessment
- Cover of bracken, scrub and trees less than 25%.
- Cover of weeds (e.g. creeping and spear thistles, docks, brambles, common ragwort, common nettle) or non-native species less than 1%.
- Less than 50% of live leaves (broad-leaved plants), fronds (ferns) or shoots (dwarf shrubs) showing signs of grazing or browsing.
- Cover of disturbed bare ground less than 10%.
M08 - Upland valley mires, springs and flushes
- Mires in valley topography and springs and flushes, generally with water movement.
- Usually wet, with bog-mosses and/or cotton-grasses at least frequent.
- Includes other generally minor features in valley bottom, e.g. runnels, soakways, sedge lawns and rush beds.
Note
Record this feature on unenclosed moorland, even where the feature definition of 'W04 - Fen - BAP habitat' (page 114) is met.
Condition assessment
- Bog-mosses (Sphagnum) at least frequent, with less than 10% damaged (dead/bleached or crushed/broken/pulled).
- Cover of dwarf shrubs between 33% and 75% (except when bog-mosses (Sphagnum) are dominant), with at least two dwarf shrub species frequent.
- Flowering cotton-grass plants frequent (where present) in spring, or flowering heathers are at least frequent (where present) in autumn.
- Cover of soft and sharp-flowered rushes and common reed less than 20%.
Page last modified:
19 May, 2005
Page published: 3 March, 2005