The Heather Trust in Wales

"Radiator" cuts at Gors Maen Llwyd (Denbighshire) to increase "edge" habitat for grouse.

As part of our ongoing review into heather cutting as a form of moorland management, project assistant Patrick Laurie traveled south last week to see cutting work conducted on two moors in North Wales.

There has been little Heather Trust presence in Wales over the past two or three years, so it was great to have an excuse to head back down and renew old acquaintances.

The site at Moel Famau is well known to hillwalkers and outdoor enthusiasts from across North Wales and North West England, and the distinctive top represents the highest peak of the Clwydian Mountains, which run in a straight line from North to South almost on the border with England. The heather has been cut on Moel Famau for several years, and the mosaic pattern generated by the work is very impressive to see. The steep sides of the mountain preclude management, but most of the summit is easily accessible for a dual wheeled tractor and chain flail.

An important population of black grouse remains in the Clwydian Range, and much of this management is targeted at nurturing and conserving these last few birds. Features such as ponds and wet flushes have been artificially built-in to the site at Moel Famau, and these provide focal points for brood rearing habitats made up of cut heather at varying heights and ages, with access to mature blaeberry (V. myrtilis) to provide invertebrate forage for young birds.

The small lek site is carefully managed by cutting to ensure adjacent cover for prospecting greyhens, and the hill is managed with the needs of black grouse to the fore.

Further west on the Mynydd Hiraethog near Ruthin, more cutting management has made extensive changes to the structure of the vegetation. At Gors Maen Llwyd, the moor has been broken up with large cuts into heather that appears to grow extremely quickly, so that while it appears unmanageably tall, it actually responds very well to the chain flail. Gors Maen Llwyd is altogether wetter than Moel Famau, and some of the grassy flushes provide great habitat for black grouse. As if to prove this point, four birds rose up out of the heather in the sunshine.

It was interesting to see the "radiator" cuts which are designed for brood rearing in order to maximise the "edge" habitat between tall heather and short heather - this habitat dynamic is very important for game, and increasing the amount of "edge" available is useful for both red and black grouse.

There is a great deal of new and interesting work being done with heather cutting in Wales, and this feeds neatly into the current Heather Trust research project.

The Wildlife Trust for Wales' reserve at Gors Maen Llwyd