Tradition in Action: How Burning and Cutting Help Save Our Heathland Birds

Rob Beeson
3 hours ago
4 min read

✅ KEY TAKEAWAY: Traditional mosaic management through burning and cutting is scientifically proven to be the most effective way to provide the diverse habitat required to save our declining heathland bird species.

For generations, the stewardship of our open landscapes has relied on a delicate balance of traditional practices. A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology provides fresh, robust evidence that these time-honored methods - specifically prescribed burning and mechanical cutting - are essential for protecting the birds that call our heathlands home.

Across Europe and the UK, open habitats are under threat. When traditional management is abandoned, trees and scrub quickly move in, "choking" the open ground. This process, known as tree encroachment, fundamentally alters the landscape, displacing specialist birds that need open space and low shrubs to survive.

The Study: Putting Management to the Test

Researchers monitored a 308-hectare area in the Pratomagno region of Italy over a five-year period as part of the LIFE Granatha project. Much like our own moors, this area is a "Special Area of Conservation" (SAC) dominated by heather (Erica arborea).

The project rigorously tested a "mosaic" approach. Rather than clearing vast tracts of land or leaving it entirely to nature, they treated small, scattered patches at different times. They then compared these managed areas (using cutting and controlled burning) against "reference" areas where no management took place and nature was left to take its course.

The Cycle of Renewal: Short-Term Disturbance vs. Long-Term Recovery

One of the most valuable insights from this study is the clear distinction between the immediate effects of management and the longer-term benefits.

Critics of moorland management often focus on the immediate visual impact of a burn or cut - the charred ground or bare earth. The study confirms that, initially, this disturbance does reduce bird numbers locally.

Data showed that for species like the Dartford Warbler and Stonechat, abundance dipped in areas where vegetation had been treated less than one year prior. This is an expected biological response; these birds need cover, and removing it temporarily displaces them.

However, the study illustrates that this "short-term pain" is a prerequisite for "long-term gain."

While the reference (unmanaged) areas saw a steady, linear decline in bird populations due to habitat loss, the managed areas recovered. Once the vegetation began to regenerate (1–4 years post-treatment), it provided the vigorous, structurally diverse habitat that these species thrive in.

The lesson is clear: if we avoid the short-term disturbance of cutting or burning, we condemn the landscape to the permanent long-term damage of tree encroachment and biodiversity loss.

The Power of the Mosaic

The research highlighted that a healthy moorland is not uniform; it is a patchwork. Different birds rely on heather of different ages, and a static landscape cannot support them all.

The Woodlark showed a positive trend in areas where management had happened more than a year prior, as it prefers the shorter, more open vegetation for foraging.
The Dartford Warbler and Moltoni’s Warbler rely on thicker, established shrubs found in older stands.

By staggering burning and cutting across the landscape - creating a patchwork of new, middle-aged, and old growth - managers ensured that every species could find its "perfect home" within the same landscape.

Challenging Simplified Narratives

In the UK, the debate around prescribed burning is often plagued by over-simplification. Critics frequently rely on selective citations or generalize from limited datasets to argue that burning is universally harmful. This study challenges those narratives by emphasizing the importance of scale and context.

The findings implicitly support the critique that "one-size-fits-all" prescriptions (such as total bans on burning) are ecologically damaging. The study demonstrates that:

Spatial Scale Matters: Looking at a single burn patch in isolation gives a false picture. When viewed at the landscape scale, that same patch contributes to a mosaic that stabilizes bird populations.
Configuration is Key: It is the arrangement of treatments - staggered over time and space - that delivers the benefit.
Context is Crucial: The study rejects the idea that "leaving nature alone" is the neutral or safe option. In these habitats, doing nothing is an active choice that leads to the degradation of the ecosystem.

By focusing on the mosaic design rather than demonizing the tools used to create it, this research validates the complex, adaptive management style that gamekeepers and land managers have practiced for decades.

A Rural Legacy

For those of us who live and work on the land, these findings are a welcome scientific validation of rural stewardship. The study confirms that "staggered, small-scale interventions" that resemble historic disturbance regimes are the best way to support biodiversity.

Furthermore, these practices don't just help birds; they reduce the risk of devastating wildfires by managing fuel loads and support traditional rural livelihoods, such as heather harvesting.

The Takeaway

This research proves that active land management is not the enemy of nature, but its guardian. By accepting the temporary disturbance of burning and cutting to create a resilient mosaic of habitat, we prevent the permanent loss of our most iconic open-country birds.