Mar Field Fen is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

, or SSSI, north of

Masham Masham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 1,205 at the 2011 census. The town is located northwest of York and was in the former Borough of Harrogate, Harrogate ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England, in a

rural area In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

known as Marfield. It is situated on land containing woodland carr,

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetland along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires ...

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

-fed

marshy In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...

grassland and drier

calcareous grassland Calcareous grassland (or alkaline grassland) is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. There are large areas of calcareous grassland in northwestern Europe, particularly areas of southern Engla ...

, between the

River Ure The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England, is about long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its river. ...

to the east and Marfield Wetland

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

to the west. As "one of the best examples of fen habitat in the

Vale of York The Vale of York is an area of flat land in the northeast of England. The vale is a major agricultural area and serves as the main north–south transport corridor for Northern England. The Vale of York is a broad area of flat land in northe ...

," it is a protected habitat for a variety of plants, including the common butterwort, a

carnivorous plant Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods, and occasionally small mammals and birds. They have adapted to grow in waterlo ...

. There is no public access to this site.

Site history

In the 19th century, the site was in

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

country, where the

Bedale Bedale ( ), is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Bedale Beck is a tributary of the River Swale, which forms one of the Yorkshire Dales. The dale has a predominant agriculture sector and its related small traditional t ...

Hunt would run. The entrants for the annual Bedale Hunt

steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...

would gather in a field called ''Marfield'', a drier place adjacent to the present SSSI site, before moving on to a field called ''Whitefield'' for the start of the race.

Site location and designation

Mar Field Fen is a biological

(SSSI), consisting of woodland carr,

and calcareous meadow whose flush and spring fed soils support certain specialised vegetation. The site lies north of

, on the west bank of the

. There are public footpaths to the east and west of the site, but no public access, vehicle access or facilities. The site was notified on 2 October 1988, being of interest for being "one of the best examples of fen habitat in the

." Mar Field Fen SSSI is not to be confused with Marfield Wetlands nature reserve which contains lakes, and lies to the west of the SSSI. Unlike the SSSI, Marfield Wetlands has a car park,

bird hide A bird hide (blind or bird blind in North America) is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides or hunting blinds were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now comm ...

s and public facilities.

Significant site content

Flora

On the

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

are many species of

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

s, including

spotted orchid ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''fuchsii'', the common spotted orchid, is a subspecies of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae. ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''fuchsii'' is one of Europe's most common wild orchids. It is widespr ...

common bistort ''Bistorta officinalis'' (synonym ''Persicaria bistorta''), known as bistort, common bistort, European bistort, or meadow bistort, is a species of flowering plant in the dock family Polygonaceae native to Europe and northern and western Asia. Ot ...

, greater bird's foot trefoil,

common valerian Valerian (''Valeriana officinalis'', Caprifoliaceae) is a perennial flowering plant native to Eurasia. It produces a catnip-like response in cats. Crude extracts of valerian root may have sedative and anxiolytic effects; however, the clinical ...

, marsh hawksbeard,

wild angelica ''Angelica sylvestris'' or wild angelica is a species of flowering plant, native to Europe and central Asia. An annual plant, annual or short-lived perennial plant, perennial growing to a maximum of , it has erect purplish stems and rounded umbe ...

ragged robin ''Silene flos-cuculi'' (syn. ''Lychnis flos-cuculi''), the ragged-robin, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Eurasia and Siberia and has been introduced to North America. Description ''Silene flos-c ...

and meadowsweet. These grow beside or among the "locally uncommon" blunt-flowered rush and greater tussock-sedge. Other fen plants here include common reed ''(

Phragmites australis ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. It is a wetland grass that can grow up to tall and has a cosmopolitan distribution worldwide. Description ''Phragmites australis' ...

)'', jointed rush, hairy sedge and lesser pond sedge. Within the site there is also a drier

with its own flora. Juncus subnodulosus - trubbtåg-4374 - Flickr - Ragnhild & Neil Crawford.jpg, Blunt-flowered rush Carex paniculata inflorescens (06).jpg, Greater tussock-sedge Dactylorhiza maculata (14361037131).jpg,

Spotted orchid ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''fuchsii'', the common spotted orchid, is a subspecies of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae. ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''fuchsii'' is one of Europe's most common wild orchids. It is widespr ...

Polygonum bistorta ENBLA02.JPG,

Common bistort ''Bistorta officinalis'' (synonym ''Persicaria bistorta''), known as bistort, common bistort, European bistort, or meadow bistort, is a species of flowering plant in the dock family Polygonaceae native to Europe and northern and western Asia. Ot ...

20160517Valeriana officinalis3.jpg,

Common valerian Valerian (''Valeriana officinalis'', Caprifoliaceae) is a perennial flowering plant native to Eurasia. It produces a catnip-like response in cats. Crude extracts of valerian root may have sedative and anxiolytic effects; however, the clinical ...

Crepis paludosa ENBLA01.jpeg, Marsh hawksbeard At the north end of the site there is "

flushed Flushing is to become markedly red in the face and often other areas of the skin, from various physiological conditions. Flushing is generally distinguished from blushing, since blushing is psychosomatic, milder, generally restricted to the face ...

ground," or land with much

seepage In soil mechanics, seepage is the movement of water through soil. If fluid pressures in a soil deposit are uniformly increasing with depth according to u = \rho_w g z_w, where z_w is the depth below the water table, then hydrostatic conditions wi ...

from the

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...

; some of its plants are "particularly scarce and localised." For example, there is the brown moss '' Drepanocladus revolvens'' and tussocks of

purple moor-grass ''Molinia caerulea'', known by the common name purple moor-grass, is a species of Poaceae, grass that is native plant, native to Europe, west Asia, and north Africa. It grows in locations from the lowlands up to in the Alps. Like most grasses, i ...

. There are also tussocks of bog rush, and on these tussocks are common butterwort and flea sedge. The fen

-lines have their own special plants: broad-leaved cottongrass ''(

Eriophorum latifolium ''Eriophorum latifolium'', commonly known as broad-leaved bog-cotton and broad leaved cotton grass ...

)'' which is classed as "uncommon",

bogbean ''Menyanthes'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Menyanthaceae containing the single species ''Menyanthes trifoliata''. The North American form is often referred to as ''M. trifoliata'' var. ''minor'' Michx. It is known ...

, early marsh orchid, marsh valerian ''(

Valeriana dioica ''Valeriana dioica'', the marsh valerian, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to North America, Europe and Anatolia. It is typically found in calcareous fens. It is a dioecious species, with male and female flower ...

)'', glaucous sedge,

carnation sedge ''Carex panicea'', commonly known as carnation sedge, is a plant species in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. It is known as grass-like sedge and can be found in Northern and Western Europe, and also in north-eastern North America. The plant produces ...

and long-stalked yellow sedge ''( Carex lepidocarpa)''. Drepanocladus revolvens.jpeg, Brown moss '' Drepanocladus revolvens'' Molinia caerulea 1zz.jpg,

Purple moor-grass ''Molinia caerulea'', known by the common name purple moor-grass, is a species of Poaceae, grass that is native plant, native to Europe, west Asia, and north Africa. It grows in locations from the lowlands up to in the Alps. Like most grasses, i ...

Schoenus nigricans kz2.jpg, Bog rush Pinguicula vulgaris (29068100938).jpg, Common butterwort Eriophorum latifolium1.jpg, Broad-leaved cottongrass ''(

Eriophorum latifolium ''Eriophorum latifolium'', commonly known as broad-leaved bog-cotton and broad leaved cotton grass ...

)'' Dactylorhiza incarnata in Jardin Botanique de l'Aubrac 01.jpg, Early marsh orchid Where the fen meadow and woodland carr meet, there is giant bellflower, marsh horsetail, hemp agrimony,

yellow iris ''Iris pseudacorus'', the yellow flag, yellow iris, or water flag, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa. Its specific epithet ''pseudacorus'' means "false acorus", ...

or flag,

marsh marigold ''Caltha palustris'', known as marsh-marigold and kingcup, is a small to medium sized perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family, native to marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It flowe ...

and meadowsweet. In drier places under the trees are:

wood anemone The phrase wood anemone is used in common names for several closely related species of flowering plants in genus ''Anemonoides'', including: * ''Anemonoides nemorosa'', the ''wood anemone'' in Europe and Asia * ''Anemonoides quinquefolia'', the ''w ...

, enchanter's nightshade and

dog's mercury ''Mercurialis perennis'', commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland.guelder rose ''Viburnum opulus'', commonly known as the guelder-rose, or guelder rose (), is an Old World species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae. Description ''Viburnum opulus'' is a deciduous shrub growing to tall. The leaves are opposite, th ...

and

grey willow Grey willow or gray willow may refer to: *''Salix atrocinerea'', a species of willow native to Europe commonly called grey willow *''Salix cinerea'', a species of willow native to Europe and western Asia, also occasionally called grey sallow *''Sal ...

or common sallow. The woodland carr itself has been partially planted with

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

and poplar, but the remaining natural or original

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

is ash and

alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

. ValleyOfFlowers purpleflower.JPG, Giant bellflower 20150422Equisetum palustre1.jpg, Marsh horsetail Eupatorium cannabinum 4086 6970.jpg, Hemp agrimony 20150531Iris pseudacorus.jpg,

Yellow iris ''Iris pseudacorus'', the yellow flag, yellow iris, or water flag, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa. Its specific epithet ''pseudacorus'' means "false acorus", ...

or flag 20150627Circaea lutetiana2.jpg, Enchanter's nightshade 20140311Salix cinerea2.jpg,

Grey willow Grey willow or gray willow may refer to: *''Salix atrocinerea'', a species of willow native to Europe commonly called grey willow *''Salix cinerea'', a species of willow native to Europe and western Asia, also occasionally called grey sallow *''Sal ...

or common sallow

catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind- pollinated ( anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in '' Salix''). It contains many, usually unisexual flowers, arra ...

Maintenance

In the woodland carr, minimum interference with natural growth and die-back is recommended, because fallen trees and regrowth will encourage the natural development of diverse

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s, such as

glade Glade may refer to: Places in the United States *Glade, Kansas, a city in Phillips County * Glade, Ohio, an unincorporated community in Jackson County *Glades County, Florida, in south central Florida *Glade Spring, Virginia, a town in Washington ...

s, areas of young trees, and a mixture of light and shade, and shelter or exposure to wind. It may sometimes be necessary to cut back scrub if the woodland encroaches onto

, or to

coppice Coppicing is the traditional method in woodland management of cutting down a tree to a tree stump, stump, which in many species encourages new Shoot (botany), shoots to grow from the stump or roots, thus ultimately regrowing the tree. A forest ...

trees to open up the area to light or to prevent trees from falling. Public access should be restricted to protect breeding wildlife or for the sake of

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensu ...

. The flush and spring fen area should be protected from potential risk of commercial

water abstraction Water extraction (also known as water withdrawal, water abstraction, and water intake) is the process of taking water from any source, either temporarily or permanently, for flood control or to obtain water for, for example, irrigation. The ex ...

which would deplete the

, and from agricultural

fertiliser A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrition, plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from Liming (soil), liming materials or other non- ...

landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

. All of these would disrupt the chemical balance in the aquifer and consequently in the soil, and that in turn would encourage rank grasses, and cause depletion of specialised fen plants. The quality of fen

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

should be monitored for signs of change. Light autumn

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...

and trampling by cattle is beneficial, so long as the land is not enriched by cattle dung or feed. Moderate trampling may break down

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall, or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that has fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituen ...

and create scattered areas of bare soil which would encourage

bryophyte Bryophytes () are a group of embryophyte, land plants (embryophytes), sometimes treated as a taxonomic Division (taxonomy), division referred to as Bryophyta ''Sensu#Common qualifiers, sensu lato'', that contains three groups of non-vascular pla ...

s and some

invertebrate Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...

s. Drains should not interfere with

flush Flush may refer to: Places * Flush, Kansas, a community in the United States Architecture, construction and manufacturing * Flush cut, a type of cut made with a French flush-cut saw or diagonal pliers * Flush deck, in naval architecture * F ...

es and

s, nor should they cause any drying-out of land. At this particular site there is necessary incoming water from an adjacent

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

, and that should not be withheld, diverted or obstructed. The calcareous meadow area requires more maintenance than the wood and fen. To prevent build-up of rank grasses, dead vegetation and scrub, light annual grazing and trampling by cattle is recommended. The aim is to "keep a relatively open sward without causing excessive poaching" and a varied habitat, including perhaps a controlled amount of scrub. Pesticides,

herbicide Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weed killers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page f ...

s and fertiliser are strongly discouraged.

Rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

damage Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H., ...

is a problem on this site, and should be controlled where possible.

Development and risk assessment

The site was assessed by

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

in May and August 2012. The " broadleaved, mixed and

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus '' Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew ('' Taxus ...

woodland (

lowland Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of a ...

)" area was judged to be in favourable condition, having "good ground

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and regeneration." The lowland

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

and

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

area was judged "unfavourable and recovering," although no details were given. Regarding future mining of limestone between 2025 and 2030, Gebdykes Quarry applied for a extension of the quarry across agricultural land. The potential effect on Mar Field Fen SSSI was considered in relation to that. North Yorkshire County Council confirmed that Mar Field Fen SSSI would be considered in any future local request for planning permission that might affect the site. North Yorkshire County Council's Minerals and Waste Joint Plan 2016–2030 took Mar Field Fen SSSI into consideration regarding possible effects of all potential local requirements for agricultural and commercial exploitation of land in the area.

Yorkshire Water Yorkshire Water is a British water supply and treatment utility company servicing West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire, part of North Lincolnshire, most of North Yorkshire and part of Derbyshire, in England. The company ...

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

plan for 2019 considered the potential permanent effect of

water extraction Water extraction (also known as water withdrawal, water abstraction, and water intake) is the process of taking water from any source, either temporarily or permanently, for flood control or to obtain water for, for example, irrigation. The ex ...

on Mar Field Fen SSSI in the case of future drought and found it to be moderate and adverse.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Commons category-inline, Marfield Wetlands nature reserve Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Yorkshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1988