Thursday 9 May 2013

Cattle grazing on Hazeley Heath

Pinocchio loves eating birch saplings on Hazeley Heath. The cattle do a great job reducing the amount of scrub growth keeping the heathland open and enhancing the heathland ecosystem. Heathlands have always been managed by people grazing them which takes out the nutrients which is perfect for heather to grow. Then due to advancements in agriculture people stopped grazing heathlands and started adding fertilisers to the flat fields and grazed their livestock on nice lush pasture fields. With the lack of mans intervention the heathlands scrubbed over and the UK lost about 95% of the heathlands. But we are slowly bringing them back into management and the cattle at hazeley heath - heather, Pod, Purple, Pinocchio and Pluto are doing their bit! Well done guys! :D


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