The vegetation of North Fen at Esthwaite in 1967-9

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Abstract
The vegetation of part of the fen at the north end of Esthwaite Water (2° 59' W 54° 22' N) has been surveyed three times: in 1914-16, 1929 and 1967-9. The maps provide direct evidence of vegetational succession. The main associations have retained their identity throughout the period of half a century but the reed-swamp has advanced southward into open water and been replaced along its landward edge by fen dominated by Carex rostrata . Comparing the position of this boundary with that of the shore on the Ordnance Survey of 1848, the southward movement has been 47 m at the mouth of the inflow stream and 28 m in the middle of the basin. Comparing all the surveys it is clear that the rate of movement has varied from one period to another by an order of magnitude (0.2- 3.0 m/a). The most prominent change since 1929 has been the southward extension of woodland of Alnus glutinosa and Salix cinerea on the alluvial part of the fen, the recent spread of Betula pubescens and Farxinus excelsior and gradual extension of Alnus glutinosa into the sedge-fen. A few saplings of Quercus petraea are now established beneath dying trees of Betula pubescens in the oldest part of the carr. Analytical and experimental evidence suggest that the vegetation may also be changing in response to an increased input of phosphate and nitrate.

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