Your site management

You should keep a note each year of the following:

• Size of site.
• If the hay was cut.
• If so, dates of cut. Include all dates if different strips were cut at different times.
• Type of animals on site after hay cut, and for how long.
• Number of animals.
• Number and type of hay bales.

All this information is really useful in interpreting plant community changes and learning the elements that can be damaging or beneficial to species-richness. You can tell us about these details through our meadow map. Follow the link to your meadow on our Meadow Map and click on the Meadow Watch link.

Here is a video footage showing some of the meadow managers we have worked with.

Managing a floodplain meadow in an urban environment

Managing a meadow in an urban environment can be a challenge for all sorts of reasons. We put together an article on this issue in the July 2011 newsletter which included some case studies from managers around the country. The longer versions of the case studies are found below:

Gloucester City Council

Friends of Rawcliffe Meadows (York)