October Newsletter – Flailbot

Bracken control has always been in the forefront of our thoughts. Concern about bracken was the primary reason for the foundation of FoIM, but as members will know, it is an extremely hardy plant and control is very very difficult.

Aerial spraying with Asulox is effective, but only if regrowth is killed in the following years. We did pay for spraying for one year, but we simply did not have the resources to pay for repeated hand spraying or cutting of the regrowth.

Aerial spraying also has the problem that it is necessary to avoid pollution of watercourses, thus we had to avoid spraying near streams. Spraying, using backpacks was proposed, but the area of bracken on Ilkley Moor is simply too great to make this a viable solution.

Increasing the water retention on the Moor is highly effective. Bracken simply does not like getting its feet wet. So, blanket bog restoration on the top of the Moor will limit the ability of bracken to colonise the waterlogged areas on top of the Moor, but it will do nothing to limit the growth of bracken on the well-drained slopes of the Moor.

Mechanical means of control can be highly effective. Like all green plants, bracken must have the opportunity to photosynthesize otherwise it will die. Every Spring, the subterranean rhizomes put all their stored energy into putting up new fronds. If these can be knocked down or cut before they have had the opportunity to replenish that energy then the rhizomes will be weakened and, if this process of knocking down the fronds two or three times a year is continued, over several years, then the rhizomes will die.

Hitherto we have had limited success, in small areas but, as with spraying from backpacks, the area to be controlled is too great to be effectively done with individuals using slashers or strimmers. But we now think we may have an answer: the Flailbot.

It is not possible to use a conventional roller or cutter to knock down the bracken. The ground is so uneven that it would be hazardous for the person operating the machine. I have had personal experience of having to lift a heavy roller off the trapped leg of its operator when it turned over while we were making the path to the Swastika Stone. The Flailbot overcomes this problem as it is radio controlled and the operator does not ride on the machine.

The Flailbot is a very large mowing machine. We have twice tried, in the past, to raise the £60,000 necessary to buy one. But now there is a contractor, in the neighbourhood whose machine can be hired on a daily basis, for £500 a day. It has been used, on a trial basis to cut bracken in the pasture above the Swastika Stone. This trial was funded by Bradford Countryside Service. Obviously, cutting late in the season is less useful than cutting in Spring. But the trial has proved that the Flailbot can be used on our terrain. As it can be precisely controlled it also means that it can be used safely near archaeological sites without damaging them.

Another important use of the Flailbot is for cutting heather. We need to do this in targeted areas for two reasons. One is to create firebreaks around stands of tall, mature heather to slow down any wildfire. The other is to provide areas of young heather with tender shoots which are the main food source for the red grouse. Without these the red grouse population on the moor will continue to fall.

Some of our members have suggested that we ought to consider a fund-raising scheme specifically to cover bracken control. As we now have a local contractor who can undertake this work we are looking into whether we can do this on a cost-sharing basis with Bradford Countryside Service. I will keep you updated on our progress in this regard. We look forward to seeing it properly in action next year.

And, will annual cutting deal with the bracken? Obviously not. What it should do is reduce the bracken in key areas. One machine could not deal with all the bracken on the Moor (and indeed there are ecological reasons for leaving some stands), but we do think this is the best hope of getting the pestilential plant under control.

Nothing will ever be completely successful in dealing with bracken. Indeed, it is my opinion that, after the nuclear holocaust, two species – bracken and cockroaches – will undoubtedly survive. In evolutionary terms they are both very ancient and incredibly resilient, but the Flailbot does offer some hope for the future.
A generous gift

Ilkley Moor is rather like the Forth Bridge. It requires continual maintenance and this costs money. We do get some grants. We value our members subscriptions and we have had one very substantial bequest (from the estate of the late Jo Thornley). And sometimes we get gifts…

We are extremely grateful to all our donors who are able to support us with gifts, all of which make a huge contribution to our work on the Moor.

In particular we must now thank the Atkinson family for their generous and substantial annual gifts stretching over the past 6 years. They have made a most material difference to our funds. We do know that our Moor is a special place, beloved of many people, and when that love for the Moor takes a monetary form, we are especially grateful.

Owen Wells Chair, Friends of Ilkley Moor

Oct 23