Heathland Burning

	Heathland burning

Heathland burning is an essential management activity that helps keep the heathlands free of encroaching vegetation, such as Scots pine, birch and invasive shrubs. If left unchecked, natural succession would result in woodland eventually replacing the heaths.

Grazing by commoners’ stock and deer also helps keep the pine and birch at bay, but often only partially. Burning finishes the job.

Somewhat fittingly, the stock also benefit. Burning stimulates fresh growths of purple moor grass, whilst tough, old gorse and heather stems are destroyed, in turn encouraging regeneration or seeding of tasty young replacements. These will form an important part of the ponies’ diet, particularly during the winter months when other food is largely unavailable.

Relatively small sections of heathland are burnt on a controlled, rotational basis, usually in March, at the end of the period legally permitted. Then, the worst of the winter weather is likely to be over; still-wet ground prevents the fire damaging the peaty soil; and the impact on wildlife, particularly breeding birds and reptiles, is minimised.

In fact, whilst burning is a brutal process, a number of wildlife species actually benefit – woodlarks, for example, do well on newly cleared ground, whilst marsh gentians enjoy the reduced competition from more vigorous plants.

Click here for more information on New Forest heathland

References:
The New Forest – A Natural History: Colin R. Tubbs