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Every
year, parts of Dartmoor are deliberately set on fire...but this isn't
vandalism - it's a way of improving access for walkers and, crucially,
encouraging the moor's huge array of wildlife.
The controlled burning of the moor - or swaling as it is termed -
is a traditional land management technique which has been used to
control overgrowth on Dartmoor for some 5,000 years.
Swaling is a common sight at particular times of the year - for example,
during March. It stops at the end of March, because that's when the
bird nesting season starts.
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| A
farmer keeps a close eye on things |
In these
health and safety conscious times, water bowsers are used to create
firebreaks, beaters are put on standby, and the fire service is alerted
whenever swaling takes place.
Farmers even held a demonstration of how to swale safely and effectively
at an area near Haytor.
Dartmoor farmer Maurice Retallick explained: "If the gorse isn't
controlled, then there may be the instance of having a large unmanagable
fire.
"It may be started by vandals or by accident, and it can create
a huge amount of damage to the vegetation and the wildlife."
Sue Goodfellow of the Dartmoor National Park Authority said swaling
plays an important role in the preservation of the moorland.
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| Horses
carry on grazing |
"It
provides a variety of structure. It provides young shoots for birds
and insects to eat, it provides older stuff for cover, and it provides
taller gorse - and it's that variety we're looking for," she
said.
Swaling
is good for the creatures which call Dartmoor "home."
Many rare ground nesting birds prefer the shorter, fresher vegetation
that grows back after the burn.
The trick is to create a quick sharp fire which kills off plants above
ground, but not below. So only small areas are burned, as bigger ones
get too hot, killing plant roots.
In addition, windless days are preferred, as a breeze can make the
fire too intense.
Swaling also has another positive knock-on effect as it prevents Dartmoor
becoming overgrown, giving farmers more open space to graze their
animals, and improving access for walkers.
But that's really secondary...the main object of the exercise is to
ensure the best possible "living conditions" are provided
for the wildlife which helps to make Dartmoor the unique place it
is.
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