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SURREY
HEATHLANDS.
Here in Elstead we are fortunate in being located in the midst
of ancient commons. These commons are not natural, as Roy
McGibbons said during his talk at the Annual Parish Meeting,
they are the result of many centuries of agricultural land
use.
Originally much of the land in and around Surrey was woodland,
that was cleared of trees to allow agricultural use of the
land. As the nutrients in the soil were used up only
plants like heathers and bracken were able to grow, but these
were grazed and harvested for centuries by the local residents
creating and maintaining the landscape we know today.
In the last 100 or so years four fifths of the heathland in
Surrey has been built over, with the remaining areas being
no longer used for grazing or as sources of bracken etc.
With this change of use trees are again growing in the heathland
resulting in the loss of some of the special fauna and flora
for which the area is known.
To preserve "Surreys Last Wilderness" as the remaining areas
of heathland are known English Nature and Surrey County Council
have set up a team led by Roy McGibbons to run and oversee
various methods of retaining the present character of these
ancient heathlands. These methods include having cattle
graze the land, controlled burning to regenerate heather and
hand clearance of some areas.
Keith
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