View of trees and grassland in The Deer Park.

Grassland and heathland

Although The Windsor Estate is known for its woodland, our wide open spaces are equally valuable habitats. Learn more about them, and our conservation work, below.

Grassland

The Grassland

Like trees that are hundreds of years old, some of our best grassland habitats can also be termed ‘ancient’. They have survived many years without being changed by the use of ploughing and reseeding, and have not been impacted by fertilisers or chemicals.

The best areas include Stag Meadow – an example of a flower-rich ‘lowland meadow’ and Snow Hill – a type of ‘acid grassland’. Many areas of The Windsor Estate have an abundance of colourful wildflowers attracting bees, butterflies and other insects through the spring and summer..

Flower-rich grassland habitats generally require some type of management to maintain them, such as grazing or hay cutting. If left un-managed many grassland areas would get overgrown with brambles, bracken and bushes, and the flowers would be smothered and lost. In some locations this is desirable, but in many areas, we need to have some grazing or cutting to provide the right conditions for the flower meadows and pastures to thrive.

Lowland heath

The heath

We have heathland habitats and vegetation on The Windsor Estate. These are either within or close to the important Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area.

Our heathlands occur on sandy or peat-based soils, and are dominated by heathers and other low shrubs such as gorse and broom, and fine or tussocky grasses. Sphagnum mosses are abundant in waterlogged areas. They are particularly valuable for some rare breeding birds, which nest on or close to the ground.

The Heath

Our heathland occurs as patches of habitat as well as ecological corridors alongside the network of forest roads and tracks..

Dry and wet heath and wetland mires are also ‘Priority Habitats’ identified by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Our work in the grasslands and heathlands

Our work

We undertake surveys to monitor the flora and fauna of The Windsor Estate. We use this information to help inform our management techniques to further the conservation of habitats and species
In some areas we use British White and Longhorn cattle to mimic large wild herbivores. Not only does this maintain the habitat structure, it also helps to conserve these rare breeds of cattle
We cut the hay later to allow more flowers to set seed, and when cutting the hay, we leave areas uncut for wildlife

We have restored areas of heathland within the forests, providing valuable sanctuaries for rare species, and, we have plans to create more of these conservation areas
Heathlands can rapidly get overgrown by Scot’s pine and birch saplings if left un-managed. We have a programme of cutting to maintain these areas as open habitats, and create different heights of heather and patches of bare ground for specialist flora and fauna

Explore our habitats and wildlife

Dig deeper into the habitats, the wildlife they support and the work we do to preserve them for the benefit of the nation.

Grassland and heathland

Grassland

The Grassland

Lowland heath

The heath

The Heath

Our work in the grasslands and heathlands

Our work

Explore our habitats and wildlife

Conservation & Stewardship

Woodland, parkland and wood pasture

Lakes, ponds and wetlands

Wildlife