FOUR organisations have teamed up to raise awareness of the seasonal need to burn moorland to conserve the habitat and cut risk of summer wildfires on Exmoor.
Exmoor National Park Authority, Exmoor Hill Farming Network, the National Trust and Somerset and Devon Fire & Rescue Service are hosting a walk this afternoon (Friday 16) for people to find out more about the centuries-old practice – known locally as swaling – and its role in moorland management.
It is being held on Exmoor Hill Farming Network chairman Dave Knight’s farm on the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate.
He said: “My family have farmed this land for over 100 years and swaling has long been an important part of the toolkit used to regenerate the moor ready for grazing in the summer.
“This walk is open to anyone interested in discussing the issues and I look forward to welcoming as many people as possible.”
Moors are a rich mosaic of habitats, the rarest of which is heather moorland, which is globally scarcer than rainforest. But since the end of World War Two, the UK’s heather moorland has been in steep decline despite efforts to protect it as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
On Exmoor, the area of heather has decreased by around 40 per cent in the past 40 years.
The reasons for this are not fully understood, but there is evidence that changes to traditional moorland management practices, such as less swaling and grazing animals, may be partly to blame.
Exmoor national park ranger Tim Parish said: “The swaling season takes place each year between October and March, when farmers and land managers burn small targeted areas of less than ten hectares at a time.
“The heat and smoke help to germinate heather seed and stimulate fresh growth in the spring, creating a mosaic of different aged heather that is ideal for grazing livestock and moorland wildlife.
“Without regular burning, the heather moorland would be slowly replaced with gorse, bracken and trees, and this delicate habitat would be lost forever, along with its rare wildlife and heritage.”
Firefighter Adrian Woollaston said: “There is a lot of misunderstanding about the use of burning in the management of heather moorland and we welcome this chance to highlight its role in reducing the risk of uncontrolled fires. “Keeping on top of the burning cycle is important to limit the build-up of flammable woody material and prevent potentially catastrophic wildfires during the dryer months.”
To join the swaling walk, meet at Bossington Hill car park at 2pm – no need to book. The event is free, but donations to CareMoor for Exmoor are welcome. For more information contact Heather Harley at [email protected] or 01398 322277.