Heathlands
Did you know that lowland heath is rarer than tropical rainforest?
In the UK we have 20% of the world’s heathland!
Cannock Chase has the largest area of lowland heath in the West Midlands region.
What is lowland heath?
Lowland heath is found from sea-level up to about 300m and is characterised by heathers, gorse and grasses. They are found on poor fertility soils, which discourages other plants.
Most heathlands are thought to date from the Bronze Age some 3000 years ago. Humans started clearing trees growing on infertile soils, probably to entice game into clearings to make hunting easier. Later, they used these cleared areas to graze livestock.
Grazing and tree removal caused the nutrient levels to fall further and the soil acidity to increase. These conditions suited heathland plants, which were previously limited to coasts, cliff tops and mountainsides. Heathlands became part of the farming system, providing livestock grazing, heather for thatch, turves for fuel, bracken for bedding and potash, gorse for bread ovens and livestock fodder, and sands and gravels for building.
Constant disturbance resulted in a landscape that is now valued for cultural reasons as well as its unique wildlife.
Heathland Decline
The decline in the value of heathland to the local economy contributed to its decline. Around 85% of heathland has been lost over the past 150 years through agricultural development and the planting of conifers. The small, disconnected patches that remained fell out of use and through natural succession to secondary woodland, resulting in the loss of many specialist heathland species.
Since then, conservation programmes have sought to reverse the decline of heathlands through management and restoration. Today heathlands are valued for their wildlife and cultural history.
Heathland Management on Cannock Chase
A biologically rich heathland, needs heathers at various stages of maturity. This is done today, by cutting some very mature areas of heather. In a few areas, docile cattle graze the heathland. They maintain species richness and diversity and promoting the ‘traditional’ appearance of heathland in the surrounding landscape.
As you walk on the Chase you will see bramble, wavy haired grass and purple moor grass along the road and path sides amongst other plants typically not found on heathland. This is because our activities are enriching the soil, making it more suitable for other plants that, once they get going, can dominate the existing heathland plants.
Nitrogen dioxide from air pollution (from cars and industry) is deposited on the Chase when it rains. This causes the heather to grow quickly at first but then it also ages quickly, becomes more susceptible to frost, drought and insect attack. The heather dies back creating space and light for grasses and other plants. This is also the case along path sides where dogs poo. If left, the poo breaks down and enriches the soil changing the conditions and so the plants, insects, birds (the list goes on). This is why we ask dog walkers to pick up their pet’s poo, not only because it is unpleasant to see about but also because it changes the ecology of the Chase.
Heathland is also home to a range of insects including mining bees, ants and wasps that in turn feed the birds and bats that visit the Chase as well as reptiles such as adder and slow worms. Each time we walk through the heather & heathland plants we create ‘edges’ on either side of us. Most species will move away from these ‘edges’ to reduce the risk of disturbance. Over time the amount of undisturbed heathland reduces as the routes through the heath increase (you may have heard this called fragmentation). This is why we ask visitors to keep to the paths when enjoying the Chase so that the ‘edges’ remain constant, and we can maximise the amount of undisturbed heathland for the important wildlife that lives here.
