SB5: Mechanical bracken control

How much willyou’ll be paidpaid 

£190.90 per hectare (ha).

WhereHow to use this item benefits the environment

Managing bracken can:

• Itrestore isor availablemaintain forhigh Countrysidevalue Stewardshipnatural Higherhabitats Tier and Higherthe Tierwildlife Capitalthat Grantslive onthere
• protect aarchaeological wholefeatures
• help maintain or part-parcelenhance the landscape’s character
• This

Where supplementyou can alsouse bethis useditem 

You’ll need to controlget brackenpermission from Natural England (or the Forestry Commission for woodland) based on othera options,bracken suchmanagement asplan. This plan must include Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles before using this item.

You can use it to manage bracken alongside management actions or options on dryhabitats grassland,such as:

• dry grassland
• woodland (including the creation and maintenance of new woodland) or
• sand dunes
• moorland
• lowland heathland

HowWhat thisyou itemmust willdo benefitto theuse environmentthis item

ThisYou’ll itemneed isto foragree mechanicallya controllingspecification bracken.for Thisthe willwork restorewith orNatural maintainEngland high(or valuethe naturalForestry habitatsCommission andfor theirwoodland).

Your associatedadviser wildlife,will protectadapt archaeologicalthe featuresrequirements andfor helpthis maintainitem orto enhanceyour thesite. landscape’sYou character.

Requirements

Agreementshould holdersdiscuss willand needagree tothese agreerequirements with Naturalthem.

Evidence Englandyou or,must inkeep 

You woodland,must keep photographs of the Forestrycompleted Commission,work aand specificationprovide forwith theyour work.claim.

Keeping records

AgreementYou holdersmust willalso need to keep the following records and supplyprovide them on request:

• any consents or permissions connected with the work
• receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
• copies of the implementation plan or feasibility study,study if(if one existsapplicable)

PleaseRead see the record keeping and inspectionsite visit requirements as set out in the relevantAgreement guidanceholder’s forguide: moreCapital detail.Grants, YouHigher canTier findcapital thegrants latestand guidanceProtection at Countryside Stewardship: get funding to protect and improveInfrastructure thegrants landfor youmore manage.information.

Agreement

Items holdersand willactions needyou tocan keepuse the following records and supply them with thethis claim:

item

• photographs

  Capital of the completed work

items

TheYou detailedcan requirementsuse for this item willwith bethese tailoredcapital toplans:

PA1: theImplementation Higherplan

PA2: TierFeasibility site.study

Countryside ApplicantsStewardship shouldHigher discussTier and agree these requirements with their adviser.

actions

Related options

You can use thiswith itemthese on the same are as the following options:actions:

LH1: ManagementManage of lowland heathland

LH2:CHL2: RestorationRestore of forestry and woodland to lowland heathland

LH3:CHL3: CreationCreate oflowland heathland from arable or improved grassland

UP1:CWD1: EnclosedWoodland rough grazingimprovement

UP2:CUP2: ManagementManage of rough grazing for birds

UP3:CUP3: ManagementGeneral of moorland

WD1: Woodland maintenance payments following woodland creationmanagement

Advice and suggestions for how to carryhelp outyou use this item

The following sectionadvice givesmay advicehelp onyou carryingto outuse this itemitem, successfully but doesyou do not formhave partto offollow theit requirementsto forget paid. It’s not part of this item.item’s requirements.

BrackenManaging controlbracken

IfNatural theEngland application is successful one of two approaches will behelp followedyou dependingchoose on the sizebest andmethod complexity of the bracken problem. There is no fixed threshold, but Natural England will help with the choice.management.

LargeRequirements on larger sites

OnYou’ll largerneed sites,an particularlyimplementation whereplan majorapproved habitatby restorationNatural isEngland involved,or a Naturalfeasibility Englandstudy approvedon Implementationlarger Plansites or(particularly Feasibilitywhere Studymajor willhabitat berestoration needed.is involved). This will include:

• the areas toyou’ll be controlledmanage
• the methods of controlmanagement you’ll use
• any follow up treatments to controlmanage re-growth
• any risks to sites of archaeological or ecological importance, soil erosion risks or effects on the landscape (short and long term)

Small

The sites

plan must include:

On

• sustainable smaller,land lessuse
• how complexit’s sitesappropriate anto Implementationthe Planarea
• soil ortype
• topography Feasibility(how Studythe mayland’s notshape beand needed.features Onaffect suchthe soil)
• climate
• hydrology (water storage and movement)
• ecological and historic designations
• priority species
• what habitats are already in the area

Requirements for small sites

You may only need a simple plan mayfor suffice,smaller, oneless thatcomplex includessites. It should include a map showing areas toyou’ll betreat treated and datesyour ofplanned control.schedule for managing the site. You may not need an implementation plan or feasibility study.

Environmental concerns

Make sure that the planned bracken controlmanagement has a minimal negative effect on other environmental interests on the site. You should follow Natural England’s bracken management and control guidelines.

InMechanical general, mechanical control may cause more disturbance to archaeological sites, ground nesting birds and invertebrates than chemical control. During the nesting seasonseason, make sure that birds are not nesting in the treated area.

Frequency of treatments

TheYou site should betreat treatedthe site twice in year 11. andRepeat this repeated for at least three3 years, depending on the level of success achieved.

SiteWhat regeneration

Asto do if the site regenerates,regenerates

You controlcan anyreduce brackenthe regrowthlikelihood orof weeds such as nettle, thistle, dock or ragwort. More effective bracken controlregenerating mayby resultcombining if combined with appropriate grazing,grazing. whereThis possible, due to the effects of trampling.

Further information

Further information is availablebecause from:

• Symes,livestock N.trampling &helps Day,manage J.bracken. As 2003. A practical guide to the restorationsite andregenerates, managementyou ofmay lowlandneed heathland,to RSPBmanage publications
• guidanceany onbracken habitatregrowth managementor forweeds reptilessuch fromas thenettle, ARCthistle, Trust

Readdock Countrysideor Stewardship:ragwort. An getIPM fundingapproach tomay protectreduce and improvepotentially remove the landuse youof manage to find out more information about Higher Tier including how to apply.pesticides.