Suttle Projects carefully undertook turf translocation whilst working within a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on Ministry of Defence (MOD) land at Lulworth in Dorset.
Turf translocation is the process of moving turf and grassland from one location to another. It can be used to establish new areas of grassland or to translocate habitats to a new area. In this specific instance turf translation was adopted to temporarily remove the existing sensitive grassland to enable the replacement of an existing culvert. The grassland turf was carefully maintained whilst the replacement project was undertaken and then carefully placed back in position on completion of the new culvert.
The project was undertaken for Landmarc Solutions and was conducted in line with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) Ecologist’s guidance. The top 100 mm of turf was cut into one metre squared sections, placed on Terram lined pallets, watered and tended to daily, and then re-laid over the new culvert. 98% of the grassland was protected using this method and ensured the project objectives aligned with ecological principles and minimised any negative impacts on the environment.
Livvy Williams Head of Compliance at Suttle Projects commented “Sustainability is one of the four principal elements in our approach to simplifying projects and a priority honed through our extensive experience of working within SSSIs and environmentally sensitive locations. An environmental inventory is a vital part of our preparation for each project and ensures we have identified sensitive habitats that we need to protect as well as opportunities to increase biodiversity through restorative planting.”
For more information see our project profile on working on SSSI MOD land https://www.suttleprojects.co.uk/project/lulworth-culvert/
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