Grasslands

New Forest grasslands

New Forest grassland is defined by its very short turf, which creates the ideal conditions for rare plant species to germinate and thrive.

Grazing

Grazing by livestock (ponies and cattle) is key to maintaining these grassland habitats

Biodiversity

The New Forest's grasslands support a wide variety of unusual plant species, many of which depend on bare patches of ground created by grazing livestock to germinate and grow.

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As part of the HLS scheme Forestry England has restored more than 30 hectares of ‘lost lawns’ across the open forest

Projects

Some of the projects carried out by Forestry England under the HLS scheme include the expansion of habitat at Balmer Lawn, Anderwood Lawn and Stricknage Wood

Horses grazing on Balmer Lawn with a muddy, waterlogged field in the foreground and a cloudy blue sky above

'Lost' lawns

Forestry England has been restoring ‘lawns’ (a local name for herbaceous rich, wet, acid grasslands within the New Forest) where they have been lost to dense scrub and natural regeneration of woodland.

The work aims to restore wet lawn habitats, reduce fragmentation of lawns and restore open habitats in areas of pasture woodland, ensuring the mosaic of habitats, for which New Forest is so famous, is protected.

Horses and a foal grazing in a grassy field, with one animal lying down, in front of dense green woodland

Lawn habitat

The New Forest’s lawns are unusual in lowland England because they have remained largely uncultivated. They have not been ploughed, reseeded or treated with artificial fertilisers, which means their soils remain undisturbed and relatively nutrient‑poor. This lack of enrichment prevents fast‑growing grasses from dominating and allows a wide range of specialised plants to survive—many of which have disappeared from improved grasslands elsewhere in England. Grazing by livestock also helps to ensure no single species is able to dominate within these grasslands.

As well as grass species such as velvet bentgrass and purple moor-grass, the lawns support sedges such as carnation sedge, white beak sedge and flea sedge, which are particularly characteristic of the New Forest and uncommon elsewhere in southern England. They also support a diverse range of flowering herbs—such as creeping thyme, devil’s‑bit scabious, heath milkwort, harebell and chamomile, providing a vital nectar and pollen source for pollinating insects.

As part of HLS, Forestry England has restored more than 30 hectares of ‘lost lawns’ across the open forest. Forestry England's most recent projects include expansion of habitat at Balmer Lawn, Anderwood Lawn and Stricknage Wood.

Horses and a foal grazing on a grassy field beside a woodland edge with bare tree trunks under a cloudy sky

Grazing regime

The grassland is characterised by a very short sward which allows germination of rare species.

The key to maintaining these lawn habitats is regular grazing.

The New Forest’s ability to have large numbers of free-roaming grazing animals throughout the year allows this habitat to predominantly maintain and manage itself.

Grazing in this way creates natural variations in sward length resulting in many different localised conditions and preventing any one species from dominating.

Grassy open lawn bordered by trees under a cloudy grey sky

Lawn restoration work

Forestry England’s lawn restoration work is targeted in areas that will have the greatest benefits for biodiversity.

It includes removing older scrub while leaving younger scrub patches and creating open pasture woodland through landscaping and coppicing.

Bracken harvesting

Forestry England harvests bracken every year to help to help restore and maintain acid grassland, lawn and some lowland heath habitat. Bracken is itself a valuable habitat and is relied upon by many species so the aim is not to eradicate, but to manage it in specific areas that it has unnaturally dominated.

Bracken fern field with a narrow sandy path, bordered by trees and woodland under a clear blue sky in the New Forest

Before bracken harvesting

Bracken harvesting is used on areas where the thatch has become too dense to allow other species to flourish. This is the scene at Ravensnest before bracken was harvested

Cleared bracken field with scattered piles of cut fern and trees along the edge in the New Forest under a blue sky

After bracken harvesting

Domination is often due to previous human interventions which have caused instability in the natural soils and hydrology. This is the same area at Ravensnest after bracken harvesting

Bracken-covered field at Turf Hill under a blue sky with scattered clouds and a few trees on the horizon

Before bracken harvesting

Here is a bracken-covered field at Turf Hill. The aim of harvesting is to restore the natural mosaic of healthy habitats which can maintain themselves with minimal human intervention

Open heathland with short grass and brown bracken, a few small trees on the horizon under a clear blue sky

After bracken harvesting

Excessive build up of bracken litter has a negative impact on habitats, causing a decline in the range of species. This is the post bracken harvested scene at Turf Hill