Catlow Farm is the largest holding on our estate in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire. It comprises more than 1000 hectares of heather and grass moorland rough grazing and in-bye land. Our tenant at Catlow Farm has been involved in our SCaMP programme since 2006 and an England Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) application was submitted on their behalf followed by a Higher Level Scheme (HLS) environmental stewardship application. The HLS included bringing all the grasslands, hay meadows and woodlands on the farm into appropriate management, designating areas for the management of rough grazing for wading birds and restoring the moorland areas.
The EWGS scheme targeted areas on the farm where the planting of new native woodland would have maximum benefit in terms of creating new wildlife corridors and habitat and improving and protecting the quality of the water flowing into Stocks Reservoir. In early 2007 the first of these new woodland areas was created by fencing off Hasgill Beck. This was then planted with a mixture of Oak, Ash, Alder and Holly by our farming tenants, working closely with our own woodland officer.
The second area targeted is to the North of Catlow itself in an area known as Kearsden Holes. This area is currently dominated by several areas of conifers planted since the 1950s which stand out in stark contrast to the whitemoor which surrounds them. The new native planting scheme will buffer the edges of these areas with the rounded shapes and mixed colours of broadleaved woodland while also protecting the water which flows from the area into the River Hodder and subsequently into Stocks Reservoir. The planting will also have the added bonus of adding diversity to the bracken covered slopes and encouraging wildlife.
We are building eight farm buildings on our Bowland Estate and restoring and altering one traditional barn at Catlow Farm to facilitate modern farming practice under SCaMP. Other farms are benefiting from covered yards or general purpose buildings. These will be used to enable the livestock to be housed over winter and to accommodate indoor lambing and calving.