Raised Bog Inventory


Flanders Moss East FLM182


Grid Ref: NS636985 Local Authority: Stirling
Surveyed For: Scottish Wildlife Trust Survey Date: 05/02/95
Surveyor Name: Jonathan Hughes   

Description
Damage
Impacts
Other Damage
Species Present

Description:

Flanders Moss East constitutes the largest remaining area of lowland raised bog in the United Kingdom. It is the largest remaining fragment of a raised mire complex which was once extensive over the Carse clays west of the Menteith Moraine. The site has many rare and uncommon geomorphological and biological features including endotelmic streams, intact lagg fen vegetation, and tracts of relatively undisturbed vegetation communities on undegraded, primary peat.

STRUCTURE
There are very few parts of the site which have not in some way been influenced by drainage, although often the effect on the vegetation is slight. The lowering of the water table, resulting from drainage, has given rise to a hummock/hollow microtopography with extensive areas at level T2 and T3. At the edges of the bog, around scouring drains, and where trees have become established, T3 dominates with very occasional T4 hummocks. Scattered throughout the mire expanse there are deeper hollows (T1 - A1) although these are suprisingly uncommon.

The peat is deep at the centre of the bog (up to 4m), and still accreting where conditions are suitable. The rand slope is steep in places, particulary where it slopes down to High Moss Pow, and generally the bog shows a series of typical convex domes.

An interesting feature is the Lochan in the centre of the bog. Formerly the site of a gullery, the Lochan has undergone heavy eutrophication due to excreta from the colony. It is possible however, that upwelling of nutrients from beneath the peat mass is occuring and this feature may never have been a highly acidic pool sometimes present on other large raised mires.

VEGETATION
Despite the effect of drainage, much of the mire contains excellent M18 type vegetation characterised by Sphagnum magellanicum and S.papillosum in combination with Erica tetralix, Eriophorum vaginatum, and classic raised bog plants such as Andromeda polifolia, Vaccinium oxyccocus, Rhychospora alba, Drosera rotundifolia, Mylia anomala, and Odontoshisma sphagni. Within these communities are some nationally rare or uncommon species which occur locally on the bog, including Sphagnum molle, S. imbriactum, S. fuscum, and Ledum groenlandicum (probably introduced) and on the drier hummocks a number of uncommon Cladonia species.

Most of the mire surface is now dominated by a vegetation intermediate between a wet bog community and a heath community. The high frequency of Calluna vulgaris and Cladonia portentosa suggests a general drying of the peat surface in many areas. Eriophorum vaginatum is probably the most constant species and depending on the proximity of the water table to the mire surface co-dominates with either Calluna vulgaris, Erica tetralix, Cladonia portentosa, Polytrichum commune (locally), Polytrichum alpestre, and Sphagnum species, particularly S. magellanicum, S.papillosum, S. tenellum and on the dry T3 hummocks, S. capillifolium (usually in combination with pleurocarpous mosses). Where there is scrub encroachment, tree growth or moving water then Sphagnum recurvum and very rarely S. subnitens become the dominant Sphagna. At the edges of the bog S. fimbriatum, S. palustre, and rarely S. squarrosum tend to replace the more classic bog Sphagna.

Betula pubescenes scrub and woodland, sometimes in combination with Scots Pine, now covers large areas of the bog and has had the effect of shifting the ground level from T2 to T3 with associated vegetation changes. Molinia caerulea and Myrica gale have taken over in some of these drier areas, particulary around old drains. Molinia is also often the dominant vegetation on the rand slope and around the Lochan at the site of the former gullery.

DAMAGE
The bog has been dried out in places by the invasion of trees and scrub from the woodland on the periphery. Domestic peat cutting at the edges is sporadic and appears to have had only a small and localized effect on the mire hydrology. The main damage to the site has come from forestry, and the milling operations in the eastern parts of the bog. The milled areas are now very dry and heavily drained and support a poor vegetation dominated almost exclusively by Calluna vulgaris. At the edge of the milled portion of the bog huge erosion channels have developed. Below this former milled area is a large coniferous plantation of Pine and Spruce.

ASSESSMENT
Tree removal and ditch damming in the southern sections of the mire are helping to maintain a higher water level and encourage an expansion of the existing M18 community. Continuation of this work in the northern parts of the bog is essential if the bog plant communities are to survive.

Management work is relatively straightforward on these primary peat areas but on the former milled sections and planted area the picture is different. If management work is ever consented to on this part of the mire, operations would be costly and somewhat experimental. Construction of a bund around at least parts of the former milled area would raise the water table enough to see a return in bog plant communites - it is doubtful wether traditional techniques of damming would be effective. Removal of trees and the resulting brash would also be a costly operation but perhaps well worth when the huge importance of the site is considered.

Damage:

Drainage [Peat Expanse]: Dominant Drain Status: Scouring, Dammed
Drainage [Peat Margin]: Dominant Drain Status: Scouring, Dammed

Impacts:

-Signs of animal influence
Grazing: Severity: Insignificant
Trampling: Severity: Insignificant
Enrichment: Severity: Insignificant

Other Damage:

Former milling of peat, former domestic cutting at
Damage extent: Localised

Species Present:

Andromeda polifolia
Anthoxanthum odoratum
Aulacomnium palustre
Betula pubescens
Brachythecium rutabulum
Bryoria fucescenes
Calepogeia fissa
Calluna vulgaris
Capelogeia sphagnicola
Carex nigra
Carex ovalis
Carex panicea
Carex paniculata
Carex rostrata
Cephalozia connivens
Cephalozia lunulifolia
Cephalozia media
Cladonia arbuscula
Cladonia ciliata var tenuis
Cladonia chlorophaea
Cladonia coccifera
Cladonia coniocraea
Cladonia crispata
Cladonia floerkeana
Cladonia furcata
Cladonia glauca
Cladonia gracilis
Cladonia macilenta
Cladonia polydactyla
Cladonia squamosa
Cladonia subulata
Cladonia sulphurina
Cladonia uncialis
Cladopodiella fluitans
Corydalis claviculata
Crataegus monogyna
Dactylis glomerata
Deschampsia caspitosa
Deschampsia flexuosa
Dicranella heteromalla
Dicranum leioneuron
Dicranium scorparium
Drosera rotundifolia
Dryopteris carthusiana
Dryopteris dilatata
Empetrum nigrum
Epilobium palustre
Equisetum palustris
Equisetum sylvaticum
Erica tetralix
Eriophorum angustifolium
Eriophorum vaginatum
Eurynchium praelongum
Festuca ovina
Festuca tenuifolia
Galium aparine
Galium palustre
Galium saxatile
Glyceria fluitans
Holcus lanatus
Hylocomium splendens
Hypnum cupressiforme
Hypogymnia physoides
Juncus acutifiorus
Juncus effusus
Kalmia glauca
Kurzia paucifiora
Ledum gnoenlandicum
Leucobryum glaucum
Lophocolea bidentata
Lophozia ventricosa
Luzula multifiora
Luzula pilosa
Luzula sylvatica
Marchantia polymorpha
Microglaena myricae
Mnium hornum
Molinia caerulea
Mylia anomala
Myrica gale
Narthecium ossifragum
Odontoshisma denudatum
Odontoschisma sphagni
Plagiothecium undulatum
Pleurozium schreberi
Poa trivialis
Pohlia nutans
Polytrichum alpestre
Polytrichum commune
Potentilla anserina
Potentilla erecta
Prunella vulgaris
Pteridium aquilinum
Ranunculus repens
Rhinanthus minor
Rhododendron ponticum
Rhynchospora alba
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus
Rumex acetosa
Rumex acetosella
Salix aurita
Salix cinerea
Sarothamnus scoparius
Sorbus aucuparia
Sparganium erectum
Sphagnum capillifolium
Sphagnum compactum
Sphagnum cuspidatum
Sphagnum fimbriatum
Sphagnum imbricatum
Sphagnum magellanicum
Sphagnum molle
Sphagnum palustre
Sphagnum papillosum
Sphagnum recurvum
Sphagnum squarrosum
Sphagnum subnitens
Sphagnum tenellum
Stellaria alsine
Trapaliopsis flexuosa
Vaccinium myrtillus
Vaccinum vitis-idaea

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