Burning heather ?
by Lewis, 11 September, 2014, 3 comments
Heather (Calluna vulgaris) is one of the dominant plant species of heath and moor – particularly in upland areas. In such areas, land managers may burn back areas of heather (in a selective fashion) to create better feeding for sheep or grouse. Left to grow, heather can form a ‘blanket’ that makes for poor grazing in a nutritional sense (more woody material – lignin, that is essentially indigestible) and can give rise to intense fires in dry, hot summers. The selective burning / rotational burning of heather moors has been questioned in recent times as the underlying peat, and also water quality, may degrade.
Present burning practices are estimated to release energy - some 821 PJ/yr *. However, if the U.K.’s heather was to be harvested as a biofuel or bioenergy crop** then it could yield as much energy as 1.7 million tonnes of coal per year. Read more...
