Left alone, most land habitats in the UK would slowly undergo succession until they became a climax community, usually woodland. Many valuable habitats, such as heathland, moorland, chalk grassland and reed beds, are early or middle stages of succession. Conservation of these habitats therefore often means managing succession: stopping it, or setting it back, so the habitat and the species that depend on it remain.When human activity stops succession from reaching the climax community, the stable community that results is called a plagioclimax. Common management methods include:• Grazing by animals such as sheep or cattle, which eat the growing points of shrubs and tree seedlings, so woody plants cannot become established.
• Controlled burning, used on heather moorland. Burning removes old heather and tree seedlings. Heather regrows quickly from its roots, while slower-growing species are set back. Burning small patches in rotation gives a mosaic of heather of different ages.
• Mowing, which keeps meadows as grassland and stops scrub invading.
• Removing scrub and saplings by hand, and coppicing woodland so that light reaches the plants on the woodland floor.Managing succession involves trade-offs. It costs money and labour, and conservation has to be balanced against human needs such as farming. Scientists check whether management is working, for example by using quadrats to record species richness or the percentage cover of heather before and after a burning programme.
• Controlled burning, used on heather moorland. Burning removes old heather and tree seedlings. Heather regrows quickly from its roots, while slower-growing species are set back. Burning small patches in rotation gives a mosaic of heather of different ages.
• Mowing, which keeps meadows as grassland and stops scrub invading.
• Removing scrub and saplings by hand, and coppicing woodland so that light reaches the plants on the woodland floor.Managing succession involves trade-offs. It costs money and labour, and conservation has to be balanced against human needs such as farming. Scientists check whether management is working, for example by using quadrats to record species richness or the percentage cover of heather before and after a burning programme.