Heathland management overview

The management of the heathland areas involves periodic mowing, cutting and scraping to complement the grazing. The intention is to create a diverse age and height structure in both heather-dominated and gorse-dominated communities to benefit the widest variety of species, from beetles on bare ground through nesting birds in mature heather to bird perches on single trees. Cutting also prevents some areas of gorse becoming too dominant and maintains the existing extent.

Burning is not currently (2011) used, but is under active consideration as a possible management option for the future.

Desirable coverage percentages of each element of the heathland are outlined in Natural England's conservation objectives for the SSSI areas of the common (see, particularly, table 3a). These will be incorporated in the monitoring regime from 2012 onwards. The amount of cutting, mowing and grazing will be reviewed every year. The maps below are meant as a guide to the site manager when undertaking large scale cutting using contractors, and do not cover the small scale areas done by staff and volunteers.

Heathland management maps