Ashdown Forest: a review of grazing (ENRR535)

Following a decline in stock grazing in Ashdown Forest, a feasibility study into grazing (Cole and Knightsbridge, 1985) was conducted. This work concluded that the most appropriate management for Ashdown Forest was a combination of extensive grazing and mechanical measures. One third of the heathland on the forest was fenced and grazed in 1998, with a review agreed after five years. This document forms part of that review and outlines the effects that five years of grazing have had on the ecology of Ashdown Forest. It aims to identify how successful grazing has been as a management tool and to establish the most appropriate form of management for the future of Ashdown Forest.