Bracken Control

Bracken - the hidden menace

Anyone who has waded through a sea of vegetation looking for ancient hut circles or a burial cist will be very aware of the way in which bracken hides surface archaeological remains. But bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) does far more damage underground.

Conservation at Keble Martin's Chapel

Written by James Paxman

tn_Keble Martin Chapel 4
Keble Martin's chapel is one of those little known gems of Dartmoor that would simply disappear if not looked after. As it is, overgrown with bracken and rushes, most people will pass it by, thinking it some extension of the nearby tin working remains. But this is a site with a different story.

Clearing Bracken at Grimspound

Pounding bracken may sound grim but it is benefitting Grimspound and other archaeological sites on Dartmoor. Recently DPA volunteers cleared bracken at the impressive bronze age settlement of Grimspound, an ongoing project which is achieving encouraging results. The volunteers have also reduced bracken at various other archaeological sites including Venford reservoir's longhouses and an are of High House Waste, which is owned by the DPA.

Archaeological sites on Dartmoor are increasingly under threat from bracken, which is spreading probably due to under-grazing. Although the bracken stipes (the part above ground) are unsightly and obscure the archaeology, the main threat comes from the bracken rhizomes (the underground mat root system) which are much more extensive and can serious damage the archaeology below ground.

The DPA's summer programme of bracken clearance will be replaced by a winter schedule of gorse clearance shortly. During the coming months work will take place on the Plymouth Leat, Leeden Hill, High House Waste and Raddick Hill. The work is not arduoud and new volunteers are always welcome. If interested, please call the DPA office on 01822 890646.

(This item first appeared in Dartmoor News)

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