Clwydian Range AONB - Information for Land Managers

Local Community

Information for Land Managers

Management of the moorlands is essential and can result in improved grazing and lead to a reduction in unwanted pests. Management can be used to shepherd stock and will help sheep come off the mountain in better condition. The same management has a positive impact on wildlife who live on the heather moorlands. Continuous management will also reduce the risk of devastating wildfire and the long term effects they can have.

Whilst management has been more difficult in recent years for a variety of reasons including changes in agricultural practices and the amount of labour available, it is still possible and important. These guidelines will hopefully help you through the process of cutting, burning and controlling bracken.

Burning

Burning heather is an effective way of encouraging regeneration of the moorland. Heather seed lies dormant in the soil, during burning the heat and smoke crack the seed and promote germination. Areas of old heather which are burnt will regenerate in the first year with bilberry, quickly followed by heather which will grow vigorously into a carpet of heather.

When burning, the Heather and Grass Burning Code must be followed. Burning can only take place between October 1st and March 31st to avoid disturbance to ground nesting birds and reduce the risk of wildfires. This means that there are very few days each year when burning can take place. It is also quite a labour intensive activity; in order to burn safely you need at least four people.

Burning gets easier the more management takes place. New burns can be aimed at previous management, which act as a fire break, reducing the risk of wild fire. As management creates a diverse age structure in the heather moorland, the chances of wild fire spreading are reduced. Cuts and burns act as excellent fire breaks.

Cutting

Cutting heather is an alternative management tool. The main benefits of cutting are that it can be undertaken by an individual, in any weather and the size of cuts can be easily managed. Vegetation tends to regenerate more slowly in cuts and will regenerate with more of a heather and bilberry mix.

Braken

The most effective control for bracken is spraying with a herbicide called Asulox. This can be done on a small scale by hand; using a knap-sac and sprayer, targeting individual plants. On a larger scale it can be done using a tractor mounted boom or by aerial spraying. click here for a larger imageBracken must be sprayed at the end of July and beginning of August when the fronds are beginning to open. This will ensure the plant takes up as much chemical as is required to kill it. Bracken spraying has been undertaken on the Clwydian Range and Llantysilio mountains and has been very effective in reducing the size of bracken areas and increasing grazable land, encouraging regeneration of grasses, bilberry and heather.
Advice for Controlling Bracken

Rolling and Cutting- If your area of bracken is reachable by tractor or quad bike, bruising and cutting, if done regularly, are an effective way of controlling bracken. Ideally, bracken will need to be cut or rolled 3 times at year in spring and summer, this will stunt its growth and give other vegetation a chance to compete. simply rolling bracken is believed to be most effective as this will bend the stem but not break it. The bracken will continue to try and grow, and continue to use energy from it ryzomes which will have a larger long term effect on the plant..

Spraying- The most effective short term way of killing areas of bracken is to spray using Asulox. Aerial spraying is an especially useful method of management on steep slopes where access is impossible by machine. Whilst spraying will result in 95% + success, follow up work is essential to avoid bracken returning to managed areas.

Management can take a number of forms. Grazing areas will help break up the mat of dead bracken, exposing soil and encouraging other species to grow. On flatter ground rolling will help knock back any bracken which tries to return, and spraying any returning bracken can often be undertaken on a much smaller scale using a tractor and boom sprayer or a simple knapsack, attacking individual plants.

The Environment Agency are responsible giving consent for the use of Asulox. Asulox has been approved for use in water catchment areas, and the Environment Agency will stipulate a 50 meter buffer zone is left around watercourses and water extraction points (100m in some cases).

Heather Burning Guidelines

If done properly, a days burning can be enjoyable and easy. Following the guidance will hopefully make your day run more smoothly.

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Heather and Grass Burning Code

Complying with the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (Wales) Regulations 2008 (“the Burning Regulations”) and other legislation, and following the
recommendations in this Code, will greatly reduce risks to those carrying out burning and to the general public, and will decrease the risk of damage to property, agricultural, forestry and game interests, and to wildlife and the wider environment.

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