20 May 2024
Frond or foe – how do we tackle the bracken blight?
Bracken - regarded as a dominant carcinogenic blight on our countryside, yet a valued habitat for some wildlife species. Whatever your view on this ancient and widespread plant, it requires active management across many and varied landscapes.
With the removal of Asulox in 2023 as a targeted chemical control agent, many land managers are at a crossroads on how to manage this ubiquitous fern while new guidance (and science) is being developed.
Bracken (and its control) is not a straightforward subject with varied stakeholders keen to find a workable solution to the feared rapid spread of the plant which has large underground rhizome systems which protects it from frost, fire and other disturbance. A bracken-dominated landscape impacts on farming practices, forestry, conservation and recreation and can harbour ticks which carry diseases affecting animal and human health.
Now, as the fronds appear and unfurl, it's time for land managers and farmers across the UK to plan their 2024 bracken management regime. To furnish them with the latest information and current options for control, Simon Thorp (Bracken Control Group) and Katrina Candy (The Heather Trust) will be hosting a virtual Q&A session on Tuesday 4 June, 1800-1830hrs which is free for all to attend.
To book you place, visit: www.heathertrust.co.uk/events
ENDS
Caption – Katrina Candy, Director of The Heather Trust will be co-hosting the online event ‘Bracken Management – so what now?’ on 4th June.
For more information, contact:
Katrina Candy – katrina.candy@heathertrust.co.uk; 07776 857222
The Heather Trust: The Heather Trust’s beneficiaries are those that benefit from resilient, sustainable heather moorland and associated environments. In its broadest terms this is the population of Great Britain and its visitors, since well managed moors will provide public goods such as carbon storage, water management – both quality and flood risk management - rich, diverse and unique plant and animal communities, and recreational opportunities which benefit physical and mental wellbeing. It will also provide rural communities with employment opportunities either through direct management of the moorland or in associated industries such as tourism and recreation, which aids community cohesion and resilience, ensuring our much-loved moorlands and uplands continue to be places for people as well as nature.
To help make this vision a reality, The Heather Trust’s mission is to develop and promote sustainable, resilient moorlands for the benefit of everyone, through facilitation and collaboration; engagement and representation; education and demonstration based on research, experience and best practice.