Compartment 8 lies at the eastern end of the old runway, adjoining Old Thornford Road. It comprises 3 subcompartments with a total area of 25.4 ha. There is a broad mixture of habitats - neutral and acid grassland, lowland heath, scrub, secondary woodland and areas of bare gravel. The whole compartment is available for grazing by cattle and Exmoor ponies.
This compartment holds considerable interest - variations in soil, the influence of topography, hydrology and disturbance have all had a part to play. Neutral and acid grassland, scrub, lichen heath, dry heath, gorse, secondary woodland and bare gravels are all present. The neutral grassland ranges from short species-rich turf, commonly with cowslips, to damp lush areas with rushes and sedges. There are patches of acid grassland. Bare gravel areas indicate former sites of buildings and are being colonised by pioneer plant communities and in wetter areas by rushes and scrub. The dry heath component is reasonably typical of the common in general, but areas of lichen heath are fairly extensive. There are some reasonable-sized areas of gorse, much of it even-aged. Species known to use the heath include woodlark, nightingale, European nightjar and adder. Other BAP species present include fine-leaved sandwort and annual knawel. Invertebrates recorded here include dark bush-cricket and long-winged conehead, speckled bush-cricket, meadow grasshopper and field grasshopper. The gravel areas and base-rich parts of the compartment are of particular importance for bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) and lichens.
Options exist for Sub compartments 8A, 8B and 8C
Link discrete patches of heather. Diversify the structure of gorse and maximise the length of the interface between heath and gorse (and other scrub) to benefit invertebrates and birds in particular. Maintain the extent of grassland and encourage its diversity. Sustain pioneer communities on bare gravels. Maintain scrub at its current extent and where necessary diversify stands. Retain the woodland and scrub screen along Old Thornford Road, Crookham Hill and Thornford Park.
A largely flat area with varied soils supporting neutral grassland, acid grassland, heather, lichen heath, gorse scrub, areas of bare gravel and a small block of willow, birch and hawthorn woodland.
| Objective | Area | Method | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
8A.1) Start creating and maintaining a diverse gorse structure in dominant stands by 2012.HLS objective
|
Small patches of gorse throughout subcompartment. | Coppice sections of dense gorse on a rotation. Allow to regenerate. Cut and remove using hand tools, chainsaw or cut and collect mower. | Do not treat stumps. |
| 8A.2) Retain woodland and scrub screen inside fenceline. | Adjacent to Thornford Park, Crookham Hill and Old Thornford Road. | Clear a narrow stretch (c. 1.5 m) of vegetation just inside the fenceline for access where necessary, biennially from 2011. Otherwise no intervention. | Review 2016. |
| 8A.3) Create a heathland link/corridor with Crookham Common East. | Adjacent to Old Thornford Road | Clear a wide ride (c. 20 m) from existing heathland areas through gorse and scrub up to fenceline to serve as a link with newly restored heath at Crookham Common East. Treat cut stumps. | |
| 8A.4) Link scattered patches of heather. | Small patches of heather throughout subcompartment. | Cut narrow rides (mower-width) through gorse and scrub to link these patches where heather exists. Treat cut stumps. Scrape and scarify soil to encourage heather germination. | |
| 8A.5) Control ragwort if necessary | Northern end of subcompartment. | Spot-spray rosettes with herbicide in spring as required. | Common ragwort is a very important nectar source for a range of invertebrates including the BAP-listed cinnabar moth. |
Subcompartment 8B supports damper neutral grassland, some of which is species-rich, some truly wet and characterised by rushes and sedges. There are small pockets of heather and an extensive area of lichen heath. The head of a modified valley leading into an alder gully bisects the area east to west. There are pioneer communities and sedges and rushes present here. There is an element of scrub and some birch, secondary and mature oak woodland and a small mixed plantation within the subcompartment.
| Objective | Area | Method | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8B.1) Clear scrub from south-facing valley side. | Valley. | Cut by hand, and remove. Retain a band of scrub c. 10 m wide as an interface with the alder wood at the valley bottom. | Do not treat stumps. |
| 8B.2) Retain woodland and scrub screen inside fenceline. | Eastern edge of subcompartment adjacent to Old Thornford Road. | Clear a narrow stretch (c 1.5 m) of vegetation just inside the fenceline for access where necessary, biennially from 2011. Otherwise no intervention. | Review 2016. |
8B.3) Control further expansion of scrub in open grassland.HLS objective
|
Scrub on plateau. | Coppice 5% of scrub biennially from 2012. | Do not treat stumps. |
| 8B.4) Leave bare gravel areas for colonisation by pioneer vegetation. | Small patches throughout compartment. | Clear scrub from these areas, treat stumps. Scrape and scarify every 10 years. | Review 2021. |
| 8B.5) Record and survey mature oaks on bank. | Southeast corner of subcompartment. | Use WBC arboriculturalists' recommended method of recording and surveillance. Undertake any necessary surgery 2013. | Review 2018. |
| 8B.6) Control ragwort if necessary. | Northern end of subcompartment. | Spot-spray rosettes with herbicide in spring as required. | Common ragwort is a very important nectar source for a range of invertebrates including the BAP-listed cinnabar moth. |
Subcompartment 8C is linear, running roughly east to west and adjacent to the old taxiway to the north. It contains species-poor neutral grassland. Where the plateau starts to shelve away to the south there is scrub and mixed secondary woodland, patches of heather persist in the shade.
| Objective | Area | Method | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
8C.1) Control bramble and other scrub in open areas.HLS objective
|
Throughout subcompartment. | Clear bramble with a powered flail or by hand and remove. Clear 10% by area every five years from 2013. Treat stumps. |