Kelling Heath SSSI, Norfolk

Kelling Heath is a lowland heathland in Norfolk. The site was surveyed as part of a Natural England contract to survey four Norfolk SSSIs to map the extent of the vegetation communities for which the sites had been notified, in this case H8 Calluna vulgaris – Ulex gallli heath, and to identify any management issues  impacting on the quality and extent of the notified communities.

Dry heath in the form of the H8 Calluna – Ulex heath covers much of the central heath. Mature stands are classified as the H8a species-poor sub-community, but where H8 vegetation has been cut the grassier H8b Danthonia sub-community is present. This heath is interspersed with stands of W23 Ulex – Rubus scrub and W16 Quercus – Betula – Deschampsia woodland, often following the lines of the numerous paths across the heath. W23 Ulex – Rubus scrub is also abundant along either side of the road as it cuts across the heath. Most of the woodland on the plateaux is dominated by young birch with Scots pine locally abundant in some stands.

W16 oak – birch woodland becomes more extensive in the north-west part of the heath, where the dry valleys of semi-mature trees with denser stands of young birch spreading out on to the plateaux from these core areas. Woodland is also present on the scarp slope on the eastern edge of the heath, but here W10 Quercus – Pteridium – Rubus woodland predominates with oak prevailing over birch in the canopy. As soon as the woodland reaches the top of the slope however it turns to W16 oak – birch woodland. This W10 oak woodland contains a significant number of mature oak trees and is clearly long established. Some areas of Scots pine plantation are present along the south-west boundary of the heath.

Bracken, in the form of the U20 Pteridium – Galium community is largely confined to the margins of the heath and dominates woodland clearings on the scarp slope and elsewhere. Where bracken has formed large stands on the central heath area there has been an eradication/control policy and this has resulted in the presence of large stands of U2 Deschampsia flexuosa grassland with frequent bracken fronds. These stands are most evident between the railway line and the road.

Grassland is largely absent from the heath other than those areas which have resulted from bracken control, however there are a couple of herb-rich stands of disturbed grassland near the main car park and on the western edge of the heath. There are also some small stands dominated by Molinia caerulea (M25 Molinia – Potentilla mire) in hollows either side of the railway line. The railway line cutting itself supports stands of H8 Calluna – Ulex heath, U20 Pteridium – Galium community and W23 Ulex – Rubus scrub.