The Restoration of Species-rich Floodplain Meadows and Washlands in the Ouse

1. The restoration of species-rich floodplain meadows and washlands in the Ouse Margaret Pilkington with Will Pilfold, Andrew Holmes, Nick Steer, Jacqui Hutson and Christine Zaniewicka CCE, University of Sussex

2. The River Ouse Project Aim: restoration of flower-rich grassland along the river Ouse in Sussex

3. The River Ouse Project Aim: restoration of flower-rich grassland along the river Ouse in Sussex Ecological survey combined with historical land-use research (both documents and oral history) Picture of meadow grassland before agricultural improvement through to present-day To inform restoration decisions

4. Species-rich Meadows MG5 Crested dogstail – Common knapweed grassland

5. Cultivation and fieldnames as recorded at Tithe Apportionment Survey (researched by Nick Steer).

7. Connected Landscape of flower-rich grassland along Cockhaise Brook in Upper Ouse.

15. Cultivation and fieldnames as recorded at Tithe Apportionment Survey (researched by Nick Steer).

16. Cockhaise Brook Caseford Bottom on Cockhaise Brook

18. Cockhaise Brook Caseford Bottom on Cockhaise Brook

20. Broad Mead, Sheffield Park Meadow grassland River Ouse

21. Broad Mead, Sheffield Park Rush area Meadow grassland River Ouse

25. Detailed NVC surveys on over 80 sites

26. Iron Gates

27. Sheffield Park riverside meadows

28. 1816 Estate Map

29. Cultivation and fieldnames as recorded at Tithe Apportionment Survey 1840-1 (researched by Nick Steer).

32. Grassland Vegetation Diagram (adapted from NVC) flower-rich hay meadow (MG5) Knapweed – Crested dogstail grassland Iron Gates pre-1949 semi-improved grassland (MG6) Ryegrass – Crested dogstail grassland Iron Gates 1949- chemical fertiliser

34. Grassland Vegetation Diagram (adapted from NVC) flower-rich hay meadow (MG5) Knapweed – Crested dogstail grassland Iron Gates pre-1949 semi-improved grassland (MG6) Ryegrass – Crested dogstail grassland Iron Gates 1949-1998 chemical fertiliser sown agricultural grassland (MG7) Ryegrass leys Iron Gates 1998 re-seeded

35. Came really well ... and then we had the floods of 2000…, and that killed most of it off and it was very patchy thereafter. Whereas the bit that hadn’t been reseeded recovered ‘cos it was obviously used to being under water. (farmer’s son interviewed by Andrew Holmes in 2007)

36. View of Iron Gates looking north-east, December 2007 River Ouse

37. Iron Gates about to flood, 6 December 2009

38. Iron Gates flooded January 2009

39. Grassland Vegetation Diagram (adapted from NVC) flower-rich hay meadow (MG5) Knapweed – Crested dogstail grassland Iron Gates pre-1949 semi-improved grassland (MG6) Ryegrass – Crested dogstail grassland Iron Gates 1949-1998 chemical fertiliser sown agricultural grassland (MG7) Ryegrass leys Iron Gates 1998 re-seeded MG7d Ryegrass – Meadow foxtail Iron Gates 2007 Ryegrass >10% cover Bent grass constant MG5 species present

40. Grassland Vegetation Diagram (adapted from NVC) flower-rich hay meadow (MG5) Knapweed – Crested dogstail grassland Iron Gates pre-1949 semi-improved grassland (MG6) Ryegrass – Crested dogstail grassland Iron Gates 1949-1998 chemical fertiliser sown agricultural grassland (MG7) Ryegrass leys Iron Gates 1998 re-seeded MG7d Ryegrass – Meadow foxtail Iron Gates 2007 Ryegrass >10% cover Bent grass constant Some MG5 spp present Enhancement with wildflower plugs and seed

41. Putting back the meadow flowers plant plugs? or wildflower seed?

42. Putting back the meadow flowers National Trust at Sheffield Park Weald Landscape Trust Kew at Wakehurst CCE, University of Sussex

43. Total Area: 70m by 120m

44. Conclusions from 2 years of field trial Plugs not seed: birdsfoot trefoil selfheal ragged robin Seed OK: yarrow cowslip oxeye Cowslip plug 6 December 2009

45. Conclusions from 2 years of field trial Plugs not seed: birdsfoot trefoil selfheal ragged robin Seed OK: yarrow cowslip oxeye Common knapweed? - may be slow to germinate

47. Restoring 20 hectares of washland meadow along the river Ouse Esmee Fairburn 4 sites Wildflower seed collected by Kew 6,000 plugs grown from this seed 10% of each site planted and sown Green hay to be spread

48. Plug-planting in Iron Gates West 22 September 2011

49. Sowing WMI seed in Buckham Hill Brooks 4 November 2011

50. Future Work: Plugs for difficult species Flood alleviation for Uckfield

51. And what about the other Sussex Rivers?

52. Special thanks to our survey volunteers without whom this research would not have been possible: Frank Bidnall Peter Heeley Shirley Jones Suzie Lockyer Mike Luscombe Jennie Marten Leonie Mercer Michael Nailard Frances Parrish Robin Pepper Fabae Prodger John Prodger Helen Proctor Sue Rubinstein Shirley Siems Pauline Trotter Janet Wirdnam Jon Wood

53. and The Leverhulme Trust for funding us from 2006-2008