The botanical changes in a wet (Molinia) and a drier (Nardtts) upland pasture that followed a single defoliation by a forage harvester are briefly described. Without fertilizer the bare and litter‐covered areas were soon recolonized by the original dominants; with lime and fertilizer the recolonization was mainly byAgrostisspp., even whenAgrostiswas a minor element in the original sward. These changes were markedly accelerated by the forage‐harvester treatment. The results of surface seeding after the forage‐harvester treatment are compared with those obtained after rotary cultivation. Contrasting moisture regimes and competitive thresholds led to considerable differences in sward balance and in establishment of sown species, and seeding was successful only on the wetter site. Too rapid regeneration of undesirable remnants was prevalent, but this and other hazards are related to the uneven deposit of litter left by the forage harvester; thick, slowly‐rotting accumulations inhibited the redevelopment of rapidly‐growing species and germination on see