BND1: Maintain dry stone walls

No substantive changes have been made to this action for SFI26 (compared with the SFI24 version). There have only been minor updates to standard wording which appears in all linear SFI actions.

This action’s aim is that there are dry stone walls maintained in good condition.

The purpose of this is to:

• help manage livestock
• provide habitats for lichens, mosses, ferns and wildlife
• maintain landscape and historic features

What you must do

You must maintain dry stone walls entered into this action in good condition. To do this, you must:

• visually check their condition and identify any sections that need to be repaired
• carry out any necessary repairs
• keep a record (written or photographic) of any need for repairs you identify, and the repair work you do – including the date you identify the need and when the work was done

When you carry out any necessary repairs, you must:

• use materials in keeping with the local style and characteristic
• retain any existing features such as top stones, sheep creeps, stiles and stone gate posts

When to do it

You must:

• check the condition of the walls at least once during each year of this action’s 3-year duration
• carry out any necessary repairs within 12 months of identifying the need, or by this action’s end date if you identify the need for repairs during the final year of this action’s duration

Where you can do it

An eligible dry stone wall for this action must be:

• a vertical structure that’s built of natural stone
• of traditional dry stone wall construction, which can include mortar if it’s part of the traditional stone walling method
• at least 20m long, measured between 2 end points – read the ‘advice to help you do this action’ to find out how to measure this
• in good condition

To be in good condition, the dry stone wall must be both:

• continuous – which means there are no gaps along its entire length, apart from structural wall features such as stiles, stone gate posts and sheep creeps
• complete – which means the wall is at a height in keeping with local style, with top stones in place if they’re part of the local style

Rotational or static

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

Evidence to keep

You must keep the required written or photographic record and supply this evidence if we ask for it.