Within Upton Heath, Dorset Council manages the south eastern corner known as Pine Clump.
This site was once an area of pine plantation but has been cleared to restore the important heathland that once grew here. Since the removal of the pine wildlife has returned to the site and if you are lucky you may see the rare Nightjar. The old pine stumps provide valuable habitat for wood boring beetles such as Longhorns. If you fancy continuing your day out and having a longer walk you can join the Castleman Trailway which runs by the site along the Old Roman Road.
| Nearest town | Upton, Poole |
|---|---|
| Parking | No parking on site. Nearest road parking on Longmeadow Lane |
| Habitats | Dry heath |
| Accessibility | Open Access area. All paths are un-surfaced |
| Nearest train station | Hamworthy |
| Grid reference | SY 989 935 |
| Size | 6.9 hectares |
| Look out for | Nightjars, Sand Lizards and Longhorns Beetles |
| Nearest bus stop | Longmeadow Lane |
| Site designations | Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area |
| Other activities in area |
Upton Heath, Upton Wood, Castleman Trailway, Upton Country Park |
| Owner | Dorset Council |
| Managed by | Dorset Council (Area Greenspace Management Team - East) |
| Site history |
During 2001 395 trees were removed from the site. Later in 2003 the site was soil scraped. This removed the top few centimetres of soil and pine needles which allowed the heathland plants to return. The removed soil was used to create a new heathland on a landfill site near Wareham. We also have an ongoing programme of pulling pine and spraying birch saplings and felling larger trees and treating the stumps. A local besom (broom) maker also coppices the larger birch and the site is grazed to also control any young trees. |
| How to get there |
The site is situated at the South eastern corner of Upton Heath. The A35 Lychett Minster and Upton by-pass lies along the Southern boundary. To the East is Longmeadow Lane and Creekmoor. |