Oxford Preservation Trust are starting a 2 year habitat restoration project on OPT land at Lincombe Lane thanks to funding awarded by Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment, on behalf of Grundon Waste Management through the Landfill Communities Fund.
Fens are rare wetlands that take thousands of years to form, developing where mineral-rich groundwater keeps the land saturated for most of the year. The fen at Lincombe Lane is fed by springs and seepages which emerge where the permeable Greensand meets impermeable mudstone. When grazing of the fen stopped around 50 years ago, self-seeded trees – mainly Willow and Sycamore – sprang up. The trees create heavy shade, inhibiting the growth of anything other than nettles and the invasive Pendulous Sedge. They also lowered the water table and this, combined with the heavy shading and drainage by ditches means that the conditions no longer support the fenland plant and animal species.
Our restoration project will re-wet the peat on site (locking in carbon) and recreate conditions where new peat can accumulate (adding to the carbon store). Holding water on site (slowing the flow off site when it rains) should also help reduce the risk of flooding downstream of the site. Following the fen restoration, we’ll open up the woodland area (currently not accessible to the public) to provide a view of the fen, enabling visitors to enjoy and learn about this special local habitat.
Over the next two years we’ll start re-wetting the fen, taking care to avoid bird nesting season by working in Autumn, Winter and early Spring. We’re inviting volunteers to join us on this project and help with a range of tasks including removing invasive plants, clearing scrub and building small dams by hand. This is a great opportunity to work on an interesting, rewarding, local project. Due to the sensitive nature of the site, all of the work will be carried out using hand tools. It will be led on our behalf by Rod d’Ayala, OPT’s consultant ecologist.
Separate to the funded work, in the field where the horses usually graze (they’re off temporarily, giving the grassland some time to recover due to the drought) we’ll be working on clearing scrub and bramble and increasing the size of grazing area. We’ll also lay the roadside hedge, in stages.
There will be a several sessions a month (likely on Tuesdays) over the Autumn / Winter and early Spring, but there will also be weekend opportunities with our fantastic partner volunteering organisations (Abingdon Green Gym and Oxford Conservation Volunteers). We’re keen to build up a group of local volunteers to help us carry out this work.
If you’re interested in getting involved, please contact Hannah Brockwell, Green Spaces Manager at OPT.
h.brockwell@oxfordpreservation.org.uk
01865 242918
