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You can apply for this NPI but approval will depend on it passing screening. Cutting Bracken mixed in with Heather will be a lot harder as the Heather would need to be cut as well. Don’t be tempted to burn the Heather as Bracken is a fire adapted species and burning will make it more dominant.
You must cut the Bracken at least twice during the summer with the first cut between May 1st and June 15th and a second cut 6 weeks after the first. If you miss these opportunities to cut the Bracken then the treatment will be less effective and you will be ineligible for payment.
Cutting strong Bracken later in the summer also places you at greater risk from ticks and toxins.
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. Strim the Bracken at least twice over the summer, firstly between May 1st and June 15th and the second 6 weeks later but no later than July 31st.
2. This action should be repeated for a number of yeas to be effective.
This action is intended for smaller sites, particularly those that are on steep slopes, are close to watercourses or where there rocky outcrops that would hinder the use of machinery. On larger sites on flatter more accessible terrain you should apply for the Mechanical Control of Bracken 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 one additional cuts to remove replacement fronds is necessary
Additional Guidance
• Strimming /Cutting are the preferred control methods. Cut in May or early June on young fronds that have not fully unfurled.
• Follow up treatment is required and should be carried out for 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 not considered a serious problem needing direct control.
• 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 Lyme 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 Winter before controlling Bracken could be considered
Good Locations:
Poor Locations:
