Modified Grassland

Modified grassland is species-poor vegetation, usually with fewer than nine species per square metre. It is dominated by vigorous grasses and clovers on nutrient-enriched soils. The habitat is typically created by agricultural improvement, through reseeding, slurry, and heavy grazing or frequent mowing.

Modified grassland is common across farmland and developed areas, including:

• Intensively managed pastures dominated by rye-grass and white clover

• Amenity grasslands such as parks, sports pitches, and road verges

• Margins and set-aside fields where nutrient levels remain high

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Soil Preferences

Occurs on fertile, neutral soils enriched by long-term nutrient inputs.

Modified grassland is not normally created deliberately within BNG projects, as it is a low-distinctiveness habitat that delivers little ecological uplift.

Modified grassland can be improved through changes in management that gradually reduce soil fertility and allow a more diverse sward to establish. Key measures include:

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Inputs

• Cease reseeding and herbicide use to allow natural regeneration

• Reduce nutrient inputs by ending fertiliser and slurry applications

• Introduce hay cutting with removal of arisings to lower soil fertility

• Plug planting or spreading green hay from species-rich meadows where seedbanks are depleted

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Management

• Light aftermath grazing to vary sward height and open gaps for herbs

• Rotational cutting or grazing to avoid uniform structure

• Controlling scrub encroachment without eliminating valuable edges

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Landscape

• Establish buffer strips to reduce nutrient run-off from adjacent farmland

• Target improvements near existing species-rich grasslands to encourage colonisation

• Link improved sites with wider habitat networks to increase resilience

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With time and sustained management, modified grassland can transition into Other Neutral Grassland in good condition, a habitat of medium distinctiveness and higher biodiversity value.

Good condition is defined by reduced nutrient levels, varied sward structure, and the presence of wildflower species beyond rye-grass and clover. This reflects an active transition towards semi-natural grassland.

• Distinctiveness: Low

• Condition Potential: Limited; primarily valued as a baseline for enhancement

• Habitat Connectivity: Provides only weak ecological linkage, but can act as a stepping stone if improved

• Climate Services: Stores some carbon in soils and provides forage, but far less than semi-natural alternatives

🌱 Flora

• Perennial rye-grass (Lolium perenne)

• Yorkshire fog (Holcus lanatus)

• Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata)

• White clover (Trifolium repens)

Occasional dock (Rumex spp.) and nettle (Urtica dioica) in enriched areas.