Heather Re-seeding

Areas of bracken that have been sprayed off or areas of harvested commercial forestry need remedial work to restore the scars to their former heather landscapes. Similar work is needed to restore areas that have been totally overgrazed and reduced to "white ground", which supports virtually no wildlife or farming stock. There are three main methods to help turn unproductive areas of moor back into healthy, sustainable purple heather.

• Transplanting. Whole heather plants are transplanted from another area or another moor. This is time-consuming, expensive and labour intensive.
• Brashing. After seed pods have formed in the Autumn (October-November), heather is cut at ground level and moved to a pre prepared site. The seeds are then released onto the new areas to germinate.
• Harvesting Seed Only. A recent development is to take just the seed or seed in the pods from healthy heather. One machine in use literally hoovers up the seed only, whilst another, "brush machine", snaps off the entire seed pods.

Once the area has been cleared of bracken or sprayed with Round-Up (degenerates into harmless substances within 24 hours) the ground is scarified, a process which exposes soil to the surface and is necessary for seed to germinate and take root. The seed is then scattered onto the exposed soil. Shoots can be expected by October of the same year that the seed was sown. Ecologically, it is favourable to collect seed from a nearby area from the same moor to give heather continuity and keep the strain as wild and natural to that area as possible.