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Hill farmers have for generations been custodians of our beautiful upland landscapes and have shaped, managed and maintained it for thousands of years using very simple traditional practices. Grazing livestock, herds of cattle and ponies, and flocks of sheep have grazed this landscape and shaped the ecology; they also keep the amazing archaeology, geology and landscapes exposed and visible so it can still be seen and enjoyed, whilst breaking up the vegetation so the moors are accessible. As a result of the wide-ranging grazing where animals can roam free and select where and what they want to eat, sometimes the vegetation which is less palatable gets overgrown and woody, and at certain times of the year can get very dry and burn very easily. So, during the winter and early spring, if we get a dry spell, farmers will selectively swale or burn parts of the moor which have become overgrown. The gorse, heather and long, tussocky molinia grass is very dry and dead through the winter months and burns very easily - this burning clears the dense unpalatable vegetation and the nutrient rich ash then revitalises the soil, feeding new growth.
This practice may seem extreme and it certainly looks dramatic; it can also be dangerous if you aren’t very careful and don’t have the experience, training or equipment to manage a fire safely. However, alongside the grazing animals, burning helps to maintain a healthy ecosystem and allows the mosaic of different heights and types of vegetation which the animals and wildlife thrive on, to exist in balance. If the moorland grazing levels are too low, they can become under-grazed. This not only makes them difficult to access but also susceptible to wild fire where potentially large areas could burn and these large uncontrolled burns are much more detrimental and dangerous to public, livestock and wildlife. But equally if they are over-grazed, the surface of a common and moorland areas can be damaged as the mosaic of habitats is reduced to one intensively grazed area, which is also detrimental to wildlife and can increase erosion.
So, in short over the past couple of thousand years, upland farmers have cracked it! Trust them to know how to manage the moorlands with the right number and type of livestock to deliver a thriving sustainable moorland which we are all able to enjoy. And when on a dry, early spring day you see the moor on fire - before phoning the fire brigade, just have a look to see if there is some scruffy bloke on a quad with a water pump and tank on his bike or a long stick with a piece of rubber on the end. Generally, most burns on Dartmoor will be controlled swale burns. We are obliged as commoners to notify the fire brigade, Dartmoor National Park, Dartmoor Commoner’s Council and Natural England if we are burning, and rest assured the minute any fire gets out of control we will be calling the fire brigade ourselves.
Mat Cole, Greenwell Farm
Once again, we hope to see you all at Greenwell Lambing Live. We will be welcoming schools, colleges, groups, families and all who want to enjoy the magic of spring in our lambing shed! You can contact us at greenwellfarm@gmail.comor 01822855535. See you there!