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Looking After The Habitat
Moorland is a habitat which has been modified by man over many centuries and it requires continued management if it is to retain its essential characteristics and assemblage of wildlife.
The main management operations to ensure a healthy moorland habitat are summarised in Scotland’s Moorland Forum booklet “Principles of Moorland Management”
- Rotational heather burning or cutting produces the mixture of different ages of heather necessary for birds and grazing animals to feed and nest. This is the most important annual task for the moorland keeper and takes place between October and April. For a full explanation please refer to - The Muirburn Code
Burning or cutting heather is normally done on a 10 – 15 year cycle in Scotland. If not burnt, cut or grazed, heather will grow long woody stalks with little nutritional value, and scrub woodland will eventually start to regenerate among the heather.
Regular burning off of mature heather enables young shoots to develop. By reducing the “fuel load” of woody stems, it also reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfires which damage the peat layer below. Until now, this has been more of a feature on dryer moorlands in England, such as the Peak District, but may become an increasing problem in Scotland if the climate warms as predicted
- Regeneration of heather where it has been grazed out can often be done by reducing grazing levels, coupled with careful burning, but only if the heather seed is still present in the soil. New agricultural techniques have been developed to kill off old grass and reseed the heather – a quicker but more expensive method.
- Control of invasive species like bracken and gorse which can encroach on the heather. Very large areas of heather moorland have been lost to bracken across the UK, which has no nutritional value and hosts only a limited range of small birds. It can be cut on a small scale but aerial spray is normally used.
- Regulating of grazing by sheep and cattle at the correct intensity and distribution across the moor.
- Blocking up of drainage grips and on dry moors, digging of shallow scrapes. This helps to keep the peat wet, to lock up carbon and encourage insect life.
- Strategic areas of scrub and trees which provides habitat for moorland fringe birds such as the Blackgrouse.
The joint study Conserving the Uplands published in 2005, following GIS based data collection on moorland management for grouse and deer on 371 estates across the UK. It gives an overview of all the management operations currently being done and particularly looks at the impact on waders and Black grouse.