Acid grassland in Wales tends to be species-poor, comprising a small number of dominant grasses and forbs – here the sward is dominated by mat grass (Nardus stricta) and heath rush (Juncus squarrosus). The structure of this grassland suggests that it wasn’t recently overgrazed, though historically almost certainly was. In fact, much of the acid grassland in the Welsh uplands is believed to have been dry heath vegetation before the ericoids were grazed during extended periods of intensive sheep-grazing.
