Control Policy Options
For those areas of moorland identified for bracken control, there are four management options available:
Full Control
These are areas identified for bracken control, by any technique in isolation or combination and where there will be benefit from control of the bracken. The risk of damage will be low or non-existent, and in these areas, it is likely that the vegetation that will follow has been identified.
Boundary Management
In some areas, it may be best to accept the presence of the existing bracken bed, but control the boundaries to make sure that bracken does not spread further.
Limited Management
In some sensitive areas, it may be deemed appropriate to control patches of bracken but leave adjacent areas alone. This approach might be used:
- where there is a risk of erosion, or
- to protect species of conservation interest that depend on bracken.
No Control
In areas where control will be difficult, or in places where the risk of erosion is high, the best decision might be not to carry out any control work. Resources might be best expended on areas where greater impact and value for money can be achieved. Such no-control areas can be used for tree planting or left as a conservation area.