£1.2 million project to restore Dorset's Avon Heath Country Park
The Council says it's important to protect lowland heathland
Dorset Council's taking on an 'exciting and essential' project this winter at Avon Heath Country Park to restore lowland heathland there.
It's due to cost £1.2 million and is aimed at protecting some of the world's rarest habitat, lowland heathland.
That kind of land was once seen as a wasted area, but is now recognised as an important and unique ecosystem that supports rare and threatened wildlife.
Around 2.5% of the world’s remaining lowland heathland is located in Dorset, with a significant portion at Avon Heath Country Park near Ringwood and owned by the Council.
The park’s home to all of Britain's native reptile species, including the elusive Smooth Snake, and provides critical nesting grounds for birds like the Nightjar and Woodlark.
Starting this month, Dorset Council, with support and funding from Natural England, will begin a 2-year restoration project to remove some of the invasive pine trees from the 210-hectare site at Avon Heath.
They've spread through self-seeding but could now destroy the heathland by blocking out sunlight that is essential for heather growth.
Some scrub will also be removed along with other invasive species, such as Rhododendron.
Cllr Nick Ireland, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Climate, said:
“This project at Avon Heath Country Park is crucial for recovering nature in our county and will help safeguard some of our most endangered wildlife. As custodians of a significant portion of the world’s remaining lowland heathland, we have a duty to do everything we can to protect this unique habitat for the future.
“And while removing trees during a climate emergency may seem counter-intuitive, heathlands play an important role in tackling climate change too. Their soils are excellent at absorbing carbon from our atmosphere and locking it away permanently.”
The timber removed from Avon Heath will support local projects, being repurposed for various uses such as construction materials, fence posts, and wood chips for carbon-neutral energy production.
This will help reduce the need to import wood into our county, in addition to protecting some of Dorset’s rarest native wildlife.
Funding for the project comes from the Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).