The brief
On a SSSI just south of Birmingham, we worked with our client on a meadow restoration project, to enhance MG5 meadow grassland. The area consists of 21 fields, incorporating meadows, hedges, marshes, open water, woodland and scrub.
Meadows contain some of the UK’s richest grassland flora; however, some of the grassland types have declined severely during the 20th century nationwide, and are now rarely found. Due to the extension of Birmingham Airport, some of the area is being lost in the development, so the MG5 grassland must be reinstated elsewhere.
What we did
- Flailed and mulched vegetation
- Cut hay on areas of the site
- Rotovated the soil
- Treated areas of Japanese knotweed by spraying
- Brush-harvested seeds from areas of the site, which were sown at a later date to recreate the species-rich grassland.
Meadows contain some of the UK's richest grassland flora, providing habitat for many species of wildlife including rare ground-nesting birds. We were delighted to assist our client with this habitat restoration project.
Thomson project manager, MG5 grassland, Birmingham Airport
