Rhodydendron and Bracken

[tracy]

We heard from Steve that Butterflies love Brambles, but Rhody and Bracken can be a pain to us all!

Rhody needs to be dug up from the roots and left hanging or burnt - otherwise it will take root again!

We read that one way to reduce the bracken is to break the stems (hit with a stick) The plant will continue to send up the juices and it will die.

I recognise that some bracken is a normal part of the cycle of a clearing, but at the moment we find it a pain!

Any thoughts?

[BryanBullen]

RhodOdendron (spelling, Teech!) has little or nothing to recommend it in terms of UK ecological value, as far as I\'m aware, apart from being an ideal hiding place for shier creatures such as nightingales, and is also a serious inhibitor of other interesting growth beneath it.

Bracken, however, is rather more useful, providing as it does shelter from predators and the weather to mammals large (fox, deer etc) and small (mice, voles etc) as well as being ideal cover for reptiles such as adders, which are commonly encountered on the acidic soils loved by bracken.

I get the impression, Tracy, that you probably \"find it a pain\" because it makes your coppicing work difficult, which is certainly a valid point! I would have thought though, that this practical point apart, maintaining a diverse structure in our woodland ecosystem would be fairly high on the agenda of we woodland managers, unless we are seeking to promote a specialised habitat of some sort. I also manage a KWT chalk downland nature reserve, which is obviously a specialised grassland system, but our policy is still to diversify where we can, by creating a \"mosaic\" of vegetation cover, in terms of type, quantity, size etc. In fact, although we periodically treat a small area of bracken on the woodland scarp to keep it from taking over, I still find it a charming and vital piece of the total jigsaw! I was thrilled to record our first White Admiral butterfly in the bracken glade last summer, which Steve will probably confirm is not unexpected when coppiced woodland is neglected to some extent, allowing it to become more shaded and enclosed.

On a final note, there are at least a half dozen moth species whose larvae include bracken as a food resource! Here endeth the lesson.............

[tracy]

;-)

I better check my dictionary before posting!

We are lucky, our woodland has the pylons outside, which leaves a wonderfully diverse area, bracken, grass, brambles, heather, broom, birch, willow.......

and lots of wildlife (not surprisingly)

I know that bracken and brambles are a natural first step in a clearing, although I think they inhibit other plants?

See, we have this new clearing now and it will be interesting to see what moves in first...!

and yes, as we coppice, we want to make sure that the new trees get a good, straight start- better for timber sale.

I think this forum is fantastic already, as we find out one thing (or believe we have an answer) we find out 20 more things we didn\'t know! I guess thats why we shouldn\'t act too quickly in our woods, until we have a diverse range of opinions.

Tracy

[Chris]

Having some bracken is a good thing for wildlife, but it does try to take over. If it gets too prolific, no other plants get a chance to grow and this has the effect of reducing the range of species, both flora and fauna. We try to keep it under control, so we have some areas that are bracken and some open areas.

In the woods round us, where heavy thinning has been carried out there is very little but bracken, and this forms a thick acid mulch in winter stopping plants coming through. Were we have flailed it, the mulch breaks down, and we get new growth. Our aim in some areas is to let this new growth come through, then let the bracken grow in summer, flailing it when it gets too thick again, perhaps every couple of years.

Chris W

[Colin]

Hi Tracy.

I go along with the other guys re. the importance of bracken to wildlife. It provides valuable shelter to a host of creatures during the daylight hours. If you doubt this then go into the heart of it, very, very quietly. I personally wouldn\'t advise this, as you will be eaten by either a large angry boar or a fox or possibly a pheasant. I have accidentally disturbed all of these and more whilst searching for something else and promise you that they are there. They lie very still until you almost step on them and then explode from under your feet. It is quite exciting. And then they eat you.

So, big ask, before you make a decision to destroy the bracken, creep into it (I dare you) and find out what\'s there and what role it serves in our woodland. There is nothing like first hand experience.

(It is full of blackbirds, mate)

Colin

[tracy]

Its ok! I am not going to rush in and destroy all the bracken. I will try to keep some areas clear of it, for variety (in our own wood), and maybe a little patch where the heather is outside our entrance. I promise not to go on bracken killing frenzy,

and yes, I jump sky high when I disturb something! ;-)

[mikepepler]

Yeah, we don\'t want rid of all of the bracken, we just want to keep it under control. As with any decision like this there are species of plants and animals that benefit form it, and others that do better if it is gone.

For example, the Biodiversity Action Plan says that current factors causing loss or decline of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary are:

- Loss of open clearings and canopy gaps within modern high forest systems.

- Cessation of grazing on unimproved grassland and abandonment of traditional bracken and gorse management .

http://www.ukbap.org.uk/ukplans.aspx?ID=151

It\'s useful as a cover-providing plant but almost nothing eats it (it\'s carcinogenic), and it shades out so many other plants.

Mike

[Colin]

Hi Mike

There must be some mistake, unless I have misunderstood your reply. The Pearl Bordered Fritillary is completely dependent on bracken and the associated dog violet. She lays her eggs on the dead bracken, which is slightly warmer than the surroundings and the caterpllars are then dependent on the dog violet as a food source.

Bracken management is an important conservation issue in many areas and in these situations it does need to be controlled. Locally, if you walk down our wayleave, you will see large areas of heather, bramble, ragwort and much more. I can see no evidence that bracken is dominating the area. There is a lot of it but there is also a lot of other growth.

The bracken has a very important role as cover and as a nesting site for much of our wildlife.

Colin

[mikepepler]

Hi Colin,

I\'m afraid I\'m no expert in butterflies - just quoting the BAP, that\'s all :-)

Mike

[Chris]

In some areas bracken can take over. We are involved in the management of a wood where there are several acres of little but bracken under the thinned trees and in open areas. Very little comes up through it as it is so thick. Last autumn we flailed one area and now there are plenty of spring flowers including violets. We leave bracken round the edges of these areas so that there is a corridor for wildlife and a resting place for the butterflies. Our aim is to maintain a balance of bracken and other plants; some dense bracken, some light bracken with an understory of flowers particularly in the spring, and some fairly bracken free areas. The latter is the hardest to achieve at the moment.

We think flailing in mid summer to autumn, or knocking the tops off the young bracken is the most effective way of dealing with it. Flailing late in the year will also mulch it and give a chance for other plants to grow through. Where there is a very heavy infestation some people will want to spray it. This is the best way of getting rid of it, but probably not best for wildlife, and may not be to many peoples taste.

Chris W