New Forest: heather spread to repair the burnt ground
· BehindLines newsroom
Almost three months after the fire that ravaged part of the New Forest National Park in southern England, restoration work has begun. According to the BBC and Forestry England, the agency that manages the country's public forests, teams are protecting the most vulnerable areas before winter and helping the heather to reseed.
What the fire destroyed
According to the BBC, the blaze started from a burning van on 9 August and destroyed more than one square kilometre (247 acres). Forestry England instead speaks of "over 80 hectares" in its 6 November statement: the figures for the area vary between sources. The fire hit rare heathland and ancient woodland, and burnt the surface layer of peat, which reduces its ability to store carbon. The BBC adds that the A31, a heavily used route between Hampshire and Dorset, stayed closed for nearly two weeks and that the cost to the fire service is estimated at £600,000.
Forestry England explains that the fire removed the surface vegetation and then destroyed roots and seed banks deep underground. Some areas were left with very little topsoil, stripped back to gravel, and the agency feared erosion over the winter.
A heather mat to protect the soil
Teams harvested heather full of seed from neighbouring parts of the forest and spread it over the worst-affected areas, forming a protective mat meant to slow erosion and supply the soil with seeds. The same method was used after a fire in 1989; according to the agency, that area is now fully restored.
The ancient beech and oak trees, whose roots were exposed, are being surveyed and monitored. Their condition will be tracked in spring based on their ability to produce leaves. The boggy areas, less affected because they slowed the spread of the fire, are recovering fastest: molinia grasses and other plants are already returning there, according to Forestry England.
What this changes
The agency says it has been restoring wetlands in the forest for fifteen years so that they hold water in times of drought, and plans to step up this effort to make the forest more resilient to wildfire and extreme weather. Dave Morris, of Forestry England, warns that the burnt area will take many decades to recover completely.