Heather

[tracy]

I have been sent a question about heather, anyone wish to offer your intelligent comments and thoughts!?

"We would be particularly interested in anything regarding heather: we have an area of about an acre which has heather growing on it but has over the years been left untended so that birch is taking over. We've only owned the wood for a year and so haven't had a chance to do much research on quite what to do. "

[RichardKing]

Heaths are the product of humans managing the area as grazing for livestock & often firewood collection. Many are thousands of years old. They are often rich in wild flowers & butterflies and a fast dissapearing habitat.

As your correspondant notes it would eventualy revert to woodland if left unmanaged.

There are some groups dedicated to preserving & restoring them.

Could contact local (Kent/Sussex etc) Wildfe Trust.

[SteveW]

Hi,

It would be wonderful to retain some heath within the wood; it is a rare and declining resource across Western Europe. It is also very much a product of human management so also has great cultural significance. An area of heath within a woodland complex certainly increases the structural diversity of the wood and can provide a lovely focus for all sorts of species which you might not normally see, including common lizards, slow worms and adders, also moths including Latticed Heath and True-lovers' Knot (what a great name!). Plus it will be great for birds and small mammals.

I guess the first bit of reserach you need to do is to find out 'why is the heath there?' - is it an area which has always been open or is it an area of recently cleared woodland? If the area has always been open I would suggest keeping it open by continuing or reinstating the management which has kept the area open. If the heath has developed in an area more recently cleared I would suggest allowing it to gradually and naturally scrub over but opening up another (adjacent) area that can develop as heath.

The RSPBs 'A Practical Guide to the Restoration and Management of Lowland Heathland' by Symes and Day is excellent, comprehensive and very accessible.

Best Regards,

Steve

[Warren BTCV]

Some of you may have had e-mails from Tracy about the work I’ll be carrying out for BTCV on the Weald Forest Ridge; this is the high ground within the High Weald AONB beginning east of Horsham, to just south of Tunbridge Wells. Basically, over the next couple of years I shall be recruiting volunteers from across the Weald and surrounding areas to carry out conservation activities across the Ridge. For key volunteers we will provide accredited NVQ Land Management training, we also run day courses in coppicing, risk assessment hedge-laying etc. If you would like to know more please e-mail: [email protected]

Anyway, in answer to the heather question - from a biodiversity perspective I would say keeping areas of heather, or lowland heath, would be a priority over birch colonisation. I’ve spent many an hour on heathland cutting back birch!

You may not have all the specialised species on your area of heather, but typically you may find birds such as the stonechat, woodlark and tree pipit. They are also important areas for invertebrates and reptiles like the smooth snake – if you have bits of old carpet (a small square will do) place a few on the ground, smooth snakes love to make them home.

As most you probably know lowland heath is a human-made habitat. However, as the workers (or, Commoners) lost the need to utilise heath (for animal fodder, grazing, fuel etc) the habitat became disconnected soon reverting to scrub and, eventually, back to woodland. It is a very important habitat (even an acre) sources tell us we have lost over 80% in the last 200 years, so go ahead and cut your birch!