Ashdown Forest is looking to recruit a small army of volunteers to help tackle the growing problem of bracken on the area’s protected lowland heath. It is the first year the Forest is employing a summer Bracken Management Strategy with volunteer effort at its heart.
Bracken is a very successful species which can outgrow and outcompete others. If the Bracken is not managed, it will cover large areas and reduce the value to wildlife that depends on a mix of heathland vegetation communities. Loss of this specialised habitat would adversely affect plant and animal species including the nightjar and the silver studded blue butterfly.
Ash Walmsley, Ashdown Forest’s countryside manager said: “This summer is the first time that we have run a Bracken management programme which incorporates volunteers. We aim to identify the most effective and efficient methods to achieve control over Bracken by hand, so we welcome any constructive feedback – so that we can determine the best way forward.”
Ash added: “As part of our Countryside Stewardship agreement and Management Plan for Ashdown Forest, we must control the spread and coverage of bracken. Wherever possible, plant species that are detrimental to the fragile ecology of the Forest are handled by mechanical means. Where this has not been practical, the only effective strategy has been chemical treatment.”
This latest approach to controlling an invasive species is part of the Forest’s drive to restore the lowland heathland, make it more sustainable and ensure the future of a habitat that is rarer than tropical rainforest.
CEO of Ashdown Forest Mark Pearson said: “In addition to our existing designations and protections, we are now working to achieve National Nature Reserve Status. It is a delicate balance to protect and enhance our natural assets while ensuring we can welcome the 1.4 million visitors, who come to enjoy the beauty of Forest every year.”
Mark added: “Volunteers are important people for the Forest, playing a key role in our striving to be successful in our plans for the protection, and sustainable future of Ashdown Forest so their contribution is invaluable. We encourage anyone interested, from corporate business partners to other voluntary groups, to make a difference on Ashdown Forest this summer by helping us to manage and reduce the encroachment and domination of Bracken into our valuable heathland habitat.”
For more information on the Bracken Management Volunteer Scheme contact conservators@ashdownforest.org
Or for more individual or corporate volunteering opportunities check out the website www.ashdownforest.org
There are five main problematic native plant species on Ashdown Forest; Gorse, Birch, Pine, Molinia (Purple Moor Grass) and Bracken (in addition to a range of non-native species such as Rhododendron, Gaultheria, Japanese knotweed, and Himalayan balsam).
For more information contact:
Beverley Thompson 07751 290574 or bev@ignitepre.co.uk
Or
Peter Lindsey 07710 934574 or pete@ignitepre.co.uk