RECOVERY OF 4 MONTANE HEATH COMMUNITIES ON CAIRNGORM, SCOTLAND, FROM DISTURBANCE BY TRAMPLING

Four montane heath communities on Cairngorm, Scotland, were subjected to human trampling and the initial damage and subsequent recovery recorded over a period of eight years. Damage increased with the level of trampling but some species showed delayed damage; substantial die-back occurring during the following winter, or even later. A few species such as Trichophorum cespitosum rapidly replaced lost cover, but most species recovered very slowly. Observation over a substantial period seems necessary to assess the responses of slow growing mountain vegetation to disturbance by trampling. © 1979.