Join us on Braunton Burrows for a day of practical conservation!

We will be continuing with our programme of scrub clearance meeting at the Sandy Lane car park at 10 am on Tuesday 26th March.

One of the questions we often get asked is ‘Why are you burning the scrub?’

The reason the scrub is burnt is mainly as this is the most cost-effective method of removing the scrub from the land. A major issue faced by Braunton Burrows is high nutrient levels some of which comes from atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Increased nutrients cause elevated levels of scrub and grasses leaving no room for wildflowers, overall reducing biodiversity. Clearing this scrub helps to improve the space for wildflowers to grow and produces spaces of bare sand. Therefore, pollinators and reptiles who depend on these areas can thrive. In areas where the cleared scrub is left to decay the nutrients returns to the ground reversing all the hard work carried out in clearing it, so it must either be removed by transporting it off site or burning on site, with the latter being the most cost-effective solution.

Dynamic Dunescapes provides a case study on Braunton Burrows here: https://dynamicdunescapes.co.uk/management-case-study…/

Please email evie.giblett@devon.gov.uk to get involved!