Cleaver Heath 2025 - An Eventful Year

Two significant events occurred at Cleaver Heath during 2025 that largely determined the nature of the work carried out by the volunteers during the year. Firstly the contractor led heathland restoration project which was part-funded by a very generous grant from Woodchurch High School and which was carried out in February and secondly, the fire which severely damaged the main heather panels during August.

For the restoration project, an area approximately 0.25 hectare in size within the southern part of the reserve that had been covered in bracken and gorse with some birch and very little heather present, was cleared of vegetation to ground level by specialized contractors. After this initial scrape, the plan was for the volunteers to clear regenerating scrub, monitor any existing heather regrowth and spread heather seed collected from other areas of the reserve over the site later in the year to encourage new heather growth.

Contractors working on site at Cleaver Heath

More machinery to help clear the ground for heather regeneration

Although the contractor scraping had removed a significant amount of bracken rhizome, much still remained deeper in the soil and initial volunteer work during March involved digging out and removing as much of the dense underground rhizome network as possible.

Volunteers clearing bracken rhizome

Bracken rhizome

During April and May, sprouting gorse stumps and the first young unfurling bracken fronds from the remaining rhizomes were removed. Further clearance work continued monthly throughout the summer dealing with even more bracken pulling and rosebay willow herb, birch, oak, bramble and fresh gorse seedling removal. A few pioneer stage heather plants were observed.

Removal of gorse stumps using tree-poppers

Uprooted gorse seedlings

In October, seed-containing heather shoots were harvested from other areas of the reserve and spread across the cleared restoration site. Germination and growth of the new heather will be monitored while continuing to keep the site clear of unwanted scrub regrowth.

Fresh heather shoots spread over the restoration area

Heather seeds

The second main but very much unwanted event of the year occurred during August when after many weeks of hot dry weather, significant areas of the heath were severely damaged by fire.

Fire damage at Cleaver Heath

An extensive area of heather was burnt

Remarkably within a couple of months, fresh regrowth of vegetation was apparent across the blackened surfaces. Initially purple moor grass tussocks sprouted followed by other grasses, rosebay willow herb, extensive coverage of germinating gorse seedlings and some bracken.

Regrowth of grasses along edge of footpath

Rosebay Willowherb regrowth

Volunteers are working to control this regrowth to prevent the return of excessive amounts of scrub and invasive species and allow for the hopeful germination of existing heather seed and the growth of underground heather shoots already in the soil They are also cutting down and removing large blackened gorse bushes especially within the lower slopes of the reserve.

Volunteers scraping out surface regrowth

Blackened gorse

One undesirable effect of the fire was to totally remove a significant area of the surface vegetation within the lower heathland slopes thus allowing easy access to this previously inaccessible area for visitors and their dogs. In order to limit this access we have constructed a dead hedge along the edge of the main public footpath which together with some appropriate signage will explain to members of the public why it is important to keep off the burnt areas to encourage the natural recovery of important plants and animals.

Thanks are due to both the Wirral Wildlife and Cheshire Wildlife Trust volunteers who together with Graham Borden-Long, Living Landscape Officer at CWT, have worked hard throughout the year to progress the restoration project and deal with the aftermath of the fire.

John McGaw
Volunteer Reserve Warden Cleaver Heath