Thetford Heaths is a 270.6-hectare (669-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Suffolk . It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, and parts of it are a national nature reserve , and a Geological Conservation Review , It is part of the Breckland Special Area of Conservation , and Special Protection Area A large part of this dry heathland site is calcareous grassland, and some areas are grazed by sheep or rabbits. There are several nationally rare plants and an uncommon heathland bird, and many lichens and mosses.
The site
Thetford Heaths is an area of dry heathland in the Breckland. A range of soil types gives rise to areas of a variety of grassland types including calcareous, neutral and acidic, as well as scrubland and regenerating deciduous woodland. Part of the site is owned by the Norfolk Naturalists Trust and is managed as the Thetford Heath National Nature Reserve, and part is used for training purposes by the army. The calcareous grassland is grazed in places by sheep and is dominated by sheep’s fescue , crested hair-grass and meadow oat-grass . In the shortest, rabbit-nibbled turf, there may be little grass, and small herbs such as purple milkvetch , early forget-me-not and little mouse-ear may predominate, along with lichens . Longer grassy areas have such plants as bird's-foot trefoil , lesser meadow-rue , lady’s bedstraw and small scabious . Where they can get a foothold, annual species such as common whitlowgrass , thyme-leaved sandwort and shepherd’s cress occur. Other areas of heathland are dominated by heather, and lichens and mosses.
Birds of importance in the Breckland include the Eurasian stone-curlew , the European nightjar and the woodlark .
References
^ "Designated Sites View: Thetford Heaths" . Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
"Map of Thetford Heaths" . Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 13 June 2017.Ratcliffe, Derek, ed. (1977). A Nature Conservation Review . Vol. 2. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 136. ISBN 0521-21403-3
"Suffolk's National Nature Reserves" . Natural England. Retrieved 3 May 2017."Designated Sites View: Thetford Heath" . National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 5 May 2017."Thetford Heath (Quaternary of East Anglia)" . Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 3 May 2017."Breckland" . Special Areas of Conservation. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 4 May 2017."Designated Sites View: Breckland" . Special Area of Conservation. Natural England. Retrieved 10 May 2017."Designated Sites View: Breckland" . Special Protection Area. Natural England. Retrieved 10 May 2017.^ "Special Protection Areas under the EC Birds Directive. Breckland" (PDF). Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
^ "Thetford Heaths citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
52°23′N 0°43′E / 52.39°N 0.72°E / 52.39; 0.72
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Suffolk Biological
Abbey Wood, Flixton Alde–Ore Estuary Arger Fen Bangrove Wood, Ixworth Barking Woods Barnby Broad and Marshes Barnham Heath Berner's Heath Bixley Heath Black Ditches, Cavenham Blaxhall Heath Blo' Norton and Thelnetham Fens Bradfield Woods Breckland Farmland Breckland Forest Brent Eleigh Woods Bugg's Hole Fen, Thelnetham Burgate Wood Cavendish Woods Cavenham–Icklingham Heaths Cherry Hill and The Gallops, Barton Mills Chippenhall Green Combs Wood Cornard Mere Crag Pit, Sutton Cransford Meadow Deadman's Grave, Icklingham Deben Estuary Dew's Ponds Edwardstone Woods Elmsett Park Wood Eriswell Low Warren Fakenham Wood and Sapiston Great Grove Fox Fritillary Meadow Foxhole Heath Freston and Cutler's Woods with Holbrook Park Frithy and Chadacre Woods The Gardens, Great Ashfield Gipping Great Wood Glemsford Pits The Glen Chalk Caves, Bury St Edmunds Gosbeck Wood Gromford Meadow Groton Wood Gypsy Camp Meadows, Thrandeston Hay Wood, Whepstead Horringer Court Caves High House Meadows, Monewden Hintlesham Woods Hopton Fen How Hill Track Iken Wood Ipswich Heaths Kentwell Woods Knettishall Heath Lackford Lakes Lakenheath Poor's Fen Lakenheath Warren Landguard Common Laurel Farm Meadow Leiston - Aldeburgh Lineage Wood & Railway Track, Long Melford Lingwood Meadows Little Blakenham Pit Little Heath, Barnham London Road Industrial Estate, Brandon Lordswell Field Maidscross Hill Major Farm Meadow Metfield Meadow Mickfield Meadow Middle Wood, Offton Milden Thicks Minsmere–Walberswick Heaths and Marshes Moat Farm Meadows Monewden Meadows Nacton Meadows Newbourne Springs Newmarket Heath Norton Wood Orwell Estuary Over and Lawn Woods Pakefield to Easton Bavents Pakenham Meadows Pashford Poor's Fen, Lakenheath Potton Hall Fields, Westleton RAF Lakenheath Redgrave and Lopham Fens Rex Graham Reserve Riverside House Meadow Sandlings Forest Sinks Valley, Kesgrave Sizewell Marshes Snape Warren Sotterley Park Sprat's Water and Marshes, Carlton Colville Stallode Wash, Lakenheath Stanton Woods Staverton Park and The Thicks, Wantisden Stour Estuary Sutton and Hollesley Heaths Thetford Heaths Thorpe Morieux Woods Titsal Wood, Shadingfield Trundley and Wadgell's Wood, Great Thurlow Tunstall Common Wangford Warren and Carr Weather and Horn Heaths, Eriswell West Stow Heath Westhall Wood and Meadow Weston Fen Wilde Street Meadow Wortham Ling Geological
Alde-Ore Estuary Aldeburgh Brick Pit Aldeburgh Hall Pit Bawdsey Cliff Bobbitshole, Belstead Breckland Forest Buckanay Farm Pit, Alderton Chillesford Church Pit Corton Cliffs Crag Farm Pit, Sudbourne Crag Pit, Aldeburgh Creeting St Mary Pits Ferry Cliff, Sutton Flixton Quarry Gedgrave Hall Pit Great Blakenham Pit Hascot Hill Pit Holton Pit Hoxne Brick Pit Neutral Farm Pit, Butley Pakefield to Easton Bavents Ramsholt Cliff Red House Farm Pit Red Lodge Heath Richmond Farm Pit, Gedgrave Rockhall Wood Pit, Sutton Round Hill Pit, Aldeburgh Sandy Lane Pit, Barham Stoke Tunnel Cutting, Ipswich Stour Estuary Sudbourne Park Pit Valley Farm Pit, Sudbourne Waldringfield Pit
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