The Pick’s Field Manual Regeneration

Picks Field is a degraded chalk grassland site with high potential to support healthy populations of S41 priority species that are unable to live elsewhere.

UK has lost c97% of its chalk grassland since 1930; less than 41,000 ha remains, patchily distributed across South East England. Remaining patches are small and poorly connected. Restoration of Pick’s Field is important to increase the area of S41 Priority
Habitat and provide connectivity to nearby SSSIs (Lid’s Down and Aston Upthorpe Downs).

The Field has been left unmanaged for about 15 years ago. In spring and summer, the western end is buzzing with life but long rye grass, privet and hawthorn are taking over. All these shade out the lower-lying chalkland specialists.

This project is to emulate the effect of low-intensity grazing to the field using manual methods like scything to reduce vegetation growth. The aim is to control the rye-grass and scrub, allowing populations of chalk grassland specialists to recover.