Why Are We Cutting Scrub at Radipole Lake?
As you wander around the reserve you will notice that some parts have recently been cleared as illustrated in the photos below.
Over the next three years our reserve team staff & volunteers will be cutting back a large amount of scrub, initially concentrating on paths around the discovery loop. Scrub has many benefits, so we’re not completely getting rid of it. Scrub provides food & cover for many species of moths & butterflies and Cetti’s warblers breed here.
BUT if left without management it will become a problem.
1. Scrub will encroach on the reedbeds drying it out & changing the nature of the habitat which is called succession.
2. Paths will become overgrown & dangerous causing a continual management burden in cutting back.
3. Too much scrub will restrict views of the wider reserve.
Therefore it is being cut down on a rotational cycle, ensuring a careful balance is left, important for several species without impacting on the biodiversity of the reserve. Radipole & Lodmoor are designated as a reedbed and this special habitat must be maintained.
Why Are We Cutting & Burning Reeds at Radipole Lake?
We want to have a mixed age range of reeds, so therefore they get cut on rotation providing homes for different species. Ultimately we don’t want to reedbeds to dry out, so we are managing them to hold back succession.
The Trucksaw is a large bit of machinery that clears and creates waterways which allow fish and water movement. Certain sections are cut annually to bring wildlife closer to visitors.
Initial cutting creates new views as well as feeding area for bittern, water rail, dabbling ducks and wading birds. As the reeds grow, new reed has bigger seed heads providing great feeding area for bearded tits.
Over the last few years we’ve cut reed with traditional scythes, as educational sessions with school groups, we’ve let local thatchers cut some reed for themselves, used some Radipole reed for the Discovery Centre roof, had staff and volunteers cutting reed by hand as well as experimenting with larger machines. We are still exploring new ways to create a rich patchwork of varied reedbed using a variety of techniques.
Why Burn?
You may be alarmed to see us burning the reeds. In order to hold back the reedbed drying out, we need to remove all the old leaf litter & reeds which are not of thatching quality. The most effective and economic way to do this is by controlled and supervised burning.