Dartmoor is famous for is diverse landscapes, many of which which sit on top of one of the largest granite areas in the country.   There are wet heaths, dry heaths, oak woodlands and blanket bogs.  The oak woodlands contribute massively to biological diversity of the area as the trees are covered with rich flora of mosses, liverworts and lichens. The SW area often experiences strong winds and has acidic soils.  The biodiversity of the area explains why it has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation.  It is one of our National Parks, which attracts many thousands of visitors.  A ‘normal‘ feature of heath and moorland is swathes of heather.   Due to its tolerance of acidic conditions and relative infertility, heather is generally a prominent member of the local flora.  This was once true of the moorland communities on Dartmoor, but the situation is changing. The change is due to a grass - known as purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea). Molinia is native to the UK but is also found in Europe, Asia and parts of Africa. It grows well on acid soils with a pH between 3.5 and 5, and it too can tolerate poor soils. During of the last 50 years,  Molinia has spread extensively in Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Pennines, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales and  parts of Wales.  Sadly, areas of purple moor grass support little in terms of insect or indeed bird life.  Herbivores like sheep and cattle tend to avoid it preferring other sources of vegetation, such as heather.  Indeed its nutritional value is not great and actually falls as summer progresses.  The grass is relatively unaffected by fungal / bacterial disease.  It forms deep roots and tussocks, which help protect its buds. The cover of heather on Dartmoor has fallen substantially in recent times, and in places has been replaced by an expanse of purple moor grass.  The features that made Dartmoor special are being lost. Possible factors contributing to changes on the moor: The practice of burning the moorland to encourage fresh shoots for sheep, cows, livestock.  Fires destroys many species but the young shoots of Molinia are ‘protected’ to a degree within the tussocks, and the deep roots also help ensure survival. Nitrogen deposition may be another factor.   A range of nitrogen compounds from farming (fertilisers, animal waste), traffic emissions and industry are released into the atmosphere and are deposited in significant amounts (circa 29 kg per hectare / year). Changes to moorland drainage.  As peat dries, the purple moor grass seems to thrive. There are limited funds available to the National Park for maintenance / repair. The subsidies (termed Headage payments) paid to farmers for the number of animals that graze on the moor. The combined effect of the above means that the moorland ecosystem is struggling, losing its integrity and climate changes (e.g. hotter, drier summers) do not help.   Essentially, the moorland is dying. There are places where the natural vegetation / flora of heather, bilberry and mountain ash are to be found, which suggests that restoration might be possible. What can be done? Create dams and embankments to retain water so that areas become wetter, and plant clumps of the moss - Sphagnum, which is vital for peat formation.  The water / wetness would also help reduce the risk of fire. Plant trees, like those found in woodland areas of the moor, which once established would tend to shade out the purple moor grass. Reducing the grazing pressure on the moorlands. Further reading https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/16/dartmoor-is-dying-how-the-uks-national-parks-turned-into-biodiversity-deserts https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/15/sheep-destroying-british-habitats-taxpayers-dartmoor-farming https://dartmoorpreservation.co.uk/is-dartmoor-dying/

Certain upland areas of the UK , such as Dartmoor, have experienced long term grazing.  This has lead to soil compaction, which in turn means that water run-off is greater. Instead of percolating into the soil, rain water runs over the surface and into rivers. This can lead to flooding during extreme weather events.   Dartmoor (National Park) is a large upland area, which historically was dominated by oak woodland.  Oak woodland now covers a very small area.   The region is now dominated by blanket bog, heathland and acid grassland.  The number of grazing animals (sheep, cattle and ponies - deer) increased significantly between the 1950s and 2000, resulting in soil compaction. Researchers at the University of Plymouth have investigated areas of upland pasture on Dartmoor, and the potential for the establishment of native oak saplings. Working with test sites, they were able to show that significant improvements in soil properties could be observed with 15 years of sapling establishment.   The most effective location (in terms of flood prevention) for sapling / tree planting was on steep hillside on the edge of upland areas.   Their initial work on the planting of woodland has since been expanded to determine the factors that affect the establishment of the tree (oak) saplings.  Their most recent paper notes that the presence of livestock meant that fewer oak saplings survived and those that did were smaller.  However, the effects of cattle and ponies was not always negative in that their trampling could reduce the growth of bracken - allowing more light to reach young tree saplings. [caption id="attachment_34391" align="aligncenter" width="650"] A southern upload moorland - Exmoor[/caption] The research team formulated a number of recommendations relating to the creation / establishment of woodlands in such upland pastures. Livestock should be excluded in areas where there are seedlings and young saplings (1 - 3 years). This exclusion should last for some 12 years. Larger oak (4 - 7 yrs) saplings can be planted into areas of dense vegetation, as this protects the saplings from livestock. Livestock could be allowed to graze in the vicinity of mature oak trees as this would reduce dense, competitive vegetation, allowing seedlings to grow / develop.  Strategic planting and management should be considered  / encouraged for upland slopes where drainage is poor - to allow for soil recovery and development of ecosystem services (flood mitigation). Whilst natural tree colonisation is a low-cost and environmentally sensitive mechanism to promote woodland expansion (working towards government targets on climate mitigation, carbon sequestration etc.), it is likely that the expansion of oak woodland into upland pasture systems will require strategic planting and informed livestock management. [caption id="attachment_37920" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Exmoor Ponies.[/caption] Full details of their paper can be found here : https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2688-8319.12126  (Thanks to Art for images of exmoor and ponies).

It all started in the spring of 2013 when my wife, Julie, and I bought a wood in Somerset’s Blackdown Hills from woodlands.co.uk. We knew we wanted to manage the woodland for wildlife and one of our first aims was to put up some bird boxes which we did as soon as we moved in. Later that same year when looking for signs of bird-occupancy, such as pecking at the entrance, I was surprised to see a hazel dormouse in one of the bird boxes peering out at me, looking totally relaxed. Read more...