Presentation by Dr Edward Tripp on what soils tell us about heathland

1. The Dirt Collector
What do soils tell us about
heathlands?
Dr Edward J Tripp
Community Scientist – OPAL East Midlands

3. State of Heathland
• Within Nottinghamshire, heathland
loss > 85% between 1927 and 1970
• Size of patches decreased,
fragmentation increased
• Land use change (agriculture or
urbanisation), succession into
grassland, woodland or scrub

4. Nitrogen Pollution
• Sulphur dioxide pollution no longer
problematic
• Nitrogen pollution increased over
the last century
• Nitrate, ammonium, nitric acid,
ammonia, nitrogen oxides
• Soil acidity
• Biomass burning and agriculture

5. The Project
Aims
How has nitrogen pollution affected
heathlands in the East Midlands
Impact of Fragmentation
Management

6. Heathland Sites
• 25 sites across the
British Mainland
• 11 sites in the East
Midlands
• 14 sites in the rest
of the UK

7. Nitrogen Deposition

8. The studies
• Soil fertility
• Ammonia
• Management

9. Soil Fertility
• Soils collected from the
25 heathland sites
• Bioassayed in a
controlled growth room
• Weight, shoot nitrogen
and shoot phosphorus
uptake determined

10. NW (kg N ha
-1
yr-1
)
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Callunavulgarisdry-mass(mg)
1
2
5
10
50
100
150
r2 = 0.219 P = 0.016
Heather
Growth

11. NW (kg N ha-1
yr-1
)
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
AveragetotalNuptake(g)
10
50
100
500
1000
2000
3000
5000
NW (kg N ha-1
yr-1
)
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
TotalaveragePuptake(g)
1
2
5
10
50
100
200
300
500
r2 = 0.285 P = 0.005 r2 = 0.256 P = 0.009
Nitrogen and phosphorus shoot
uptake

12. Shoot N:P
NW (kg N ha-1
y-1
)
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
N:PinCallunavulgarisdry-mass
10
15
20
25
30
35
1
2
3
4
5
8
9
10
11
7
6
13
12
15
14
16
17
18
23
24
2021
22
19
25
26
1
2
3
4
5
8
9
10
11
7
6
13
12
15
14
16
17
18
23
24
2021
22
19
25
26
r2 = <0.01, P = 0.805
N limitation
P limitation

13. Ammonia

14. Ammonia
[NH3] Concentration ( g m3
)
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5
ResidualvariationinSW(mg)
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
9
10
12
13
14
15
16
17
19
20
21

15. Heathland Site Area
Site Area (ha)
1 10 50
500
1000
3000
6000
Callunavulgarisdry-mass(mg)
1
2
5
10
50
100
150
r2 = 0.169 P = 0.037

16. Management
• No indications that vegetation
composition is related to nitrogen
pollution.
• Is management the reason?

17. Management
NW (kg N ha
-1
yr-1
)
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Callunavulgarisdry-mass(mg)
1
2
5
10
50
100
150
Similar
management
Impact of
sod cutting

18. Conclusions
• Heathland loss due to land-use change and
succession
• Soil fertility linked to atmospheric nitrogen
deposition. Vegetation composition is not.
• N impact modified by PME activity, management
and patch size

19. Dr Peter
Crittenden
Dr Amy Rogers
Dr Markus
Eichhorn

20. Protecting Wildlife for the Future
Edward Tripp
Sherwood Education &
Communication Officer
Karen Bennett
Education Manager
Nottinghamshire
Wildlife Trust
Sherwood’s Historic
Heathlands

21. Protecting Wildlife for the Future
Nottinghamshire
Wildlife Trust
Sherwood’s Historic Heathlands Project
• The west of the county – mainly Mansfield
and Ashfield
• Raise awareness of the value of
heathlands and how to protect them
• School and community groups
• Primarily 8 – 18 year olds
• FREE sessions and activities
• Runs until May 2014

22. Protecting Wildlife for the Future
Nottinghamshire
Wildlife Trust
Sherwood’s Historic Heathlands Project
• Restoration of Strawberry Hill Heath Reserve
• Removal of trees and bracken to allow
heather to grow
• Improving access and interpretation
Young Persons Committee
• Investment in protecting local heathlands
• Involvement in project steering
• Project legacy

23. Protecting Wildlife for the Future
Nottinghamshire
Wildlife Trust
Meet The Team
Ed Tripp
Sherwood Education
& Community
Officer
Karen Bennett
Education &
Community
Manager
Ruth Testa
Western Reserves
Officer
Andy Lowe
Western
Conservation
Officer

24. www.historicheathlands.co.uk
historicheathlands@nottswt.co.uk