There has been swaling. Because the culm hasn't been grazed by cattle this year and needs the thick thatching cleared to encourage fresh growth, a carefully controlled burn has played gently over about a quarter of the purple moor grass tufts in Moor Wood. The ground is very wet, and so romping flames are unlikely here, although on Dartmoor where the gorse is swaled to keep its spread under control, they have firemen on standby. Now, why didn't I think of that?
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Swaling
There has been swaling. Because the culm hasn't been grazed by cattle this year and needs the thick thatching cleared to encourage fresh growth, a carefully controlled burn has played gently over about a quarter of the purple moor grass tufts in Moor Wood. The ground is very wet, and so romping flames are unlikely here, although on Dartmoor where the gorse is swaled to keep its spread under control, they have firemen on standby. Now, why didn't I think of that?
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2 comments:
Something similar happened here, though not on our land, reminding me as flames rushed through gorse, that fire is a very powerful thing indeed.
I personally think something needed burning, it was a cloudy day and the Defra satelite was busy watching Devon....
Visited all the links too. Very interesting. In February we walked over the cliffs from Sandymouth to Duckpool and I noticed that there had been swaling or the gorse had been swaled. New word to me hence not sure of its usage.
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