The importance of a properly managed moor

Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group

Over the last few days the settled weather has permitted some prescribed burns on our moors. Much of the moorland vegetation is still too wet to burn adequately but on some sites it has been possible to seize the opportunity. It may look rather dramatic, but it is carried out for very important reasons.

The most significant purpose is habitat maintenance combined with wildfire prevention. By keeping fuel loads low and the creation of firebreaks these controlled strip burns will reduce perhaps even halt the spread of wildfire. This not only protects biodiversity but also prevents ignition of the important peat layers beneath the vegetation.

Cool fires are thus called because they sweep over the surface vegetation burning only the canopy of the heather whilst leaving the cool substrate intact. This is visible in one of the images where green moss is unaffected by the quickly passing flames.

The next most important attribute of controlled fires is the creation of mixed sward length patches - so much loved by our red listed wading birds. Species such as curlew, lapwing, golden plover, snipe, dunlin and oystercatchers flock to our managed moors in spring to breed en masse. With a mosaic of vegetation these conditions are not only perfect for laying eggs discretely but also for rearing precious chicks that need high levels of insects in accessible places. A moor covered in waist high heather is NOT a suitable habitat for any of these important birds.

However all our grouse moors are in a perpetual state of management. Rotational fires take place roughly at 7 to 14 year intervals depending on the site and situation. This means that at any given time there is vegetation that is ideal for more than just waders and grouse.

Long heather is sometimes left specifically for short eared owls, harriers and merlins but eventually this longer heather will need to be managed. Nevertheless there will always be more maturing heather not too far away that is ideal for these iconic species.

At the end of these photos you will see nests of a small number of moorland birds that rely on burning to flourish. So if you see smoke rising from our moors at this time of year through into early spring these nests are the fruits of this labour and the reason these beautiful moors are so rich with life in spring time.