Menu
Small amounts of tidying up with a strimmer e.g. around rocky outcrops is Ok, Larger areas should be applied for under the Bracken Management Strimming action.
No, as scrub clearance cant be done in bird nesting season
Bracken often shelters woodland plants like Bluebells. Bracken dominated areas are bright in Spring and shaded by the canopy in Summer just like deciduous woodlands. If Bracken is removed these plants will be lost as well.
Why not consider planting a small woodland on these sites instead. The trees will shade the Bracken reducing its vigour and the new woodland will inherit the woodland plants that found refuge under the Bracken.
For the full details on requirements for this action you should read the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Specifications for Non Productive Investments. You can find them by clicking here
To control Bracken to maintain access and prevent spread into high value habitats.
1. All Bracken within the planned area must be rolled or bruised at least twice over the summer.
This NPI is intended for larger and more accessible sites. It is not suitable for small sites, steep slopes or areas with rocky outcrops or other obstacles. On smaller sites and those where access is more difficult you should apply for the Bracken Management (Strimming) NPI.
For the full details on requirements for this action you should read the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Specifications for Non Productive Investments.
You can find them by clicking here
First cut in Late May/ Early June before the fronds unfurl, at least two additional cuts to remove replacement fronds.
Additional Guidance
· Bracken bruiser is more effective on fronds that are fully developed in June.
· Follow up treatment is required and should be considered in at least two consecutive years. If there is no commitment to follow up treatment Bracken will recover, and the initial treatment will be wasted.
· Where Bracken is generally stunted, scattered, or naturally limited (e.g., growing along subsoil confined fissures and unlikely to spread out to form closed canopy stands), it is generally not considered a real problem needing direct control.
· Treatment type will vary depending on terrain and health & safety considerations.
· Work with care; Bracken is carcinogenic to humans, and it is also associated with a high occurrence of ticks and can increase the likelihood of transmission of Lymes disease. To reduce the risk, you should avoid entering areas of mature Bracken particularly from August to October (both months inclusive).
· On sites where Bracken is mixed with Brambles or other scrub, cutting other vegetation with a flail cutter the previous winter may facilitate access for treatment of Bracken later in the following Summer.
Good Location:
Poor Locations:
