Highland Habitats provide a specialist Heather Management service to pre – set management goals. Highland Habitats have extensive practical knowledge on all aspects of muirburn and firefighting.
Highland Habitats can survey and identify where surplus combustible vegetation is present and develop strategies to mitigate possible risks.
Highland Habitats seek to protect and enhance property and avoid loss of valuable habitats. We have transformed the economic viability of farm units with vigorous and prudent heather burning practices. Conducted holistically, muirburn can increase the productivity of a hill livestock unit and can deliver significant environmental benefits to native species.
Availability of better swards of building heather distributed evenly throughout each estate serves to re-distribute livestock and render benefits to game and wildlife alike. Under similar regimes, we have seen grouse production soar. In one location grouse had not been shot for a number of years. After 9 months of intensive management, the Estate shot the largest bag of grouse ( 240 brace ) in 30 years in a single day with attendant dramatic increases in capital values. In one other instance mountain hares ( currently an important BAP species) returned from the edge of extinction in less than five years.
Highland Habitats can advise you or your Client on the suitability of equipment, and recommend appropriate fire fighting equipment according to location. Highland Habitats have experienced almost 40 years of successful and safe burning in a variety of locations from grass dominated moors of southern Scotland to black heather dominated moors of the north east of Scotland.
Highland Habitats can also advise on best practice for the reinstatement of heather on overgrazed upland, regeneration of lost habitats and reintroduction of native flora and fauna.
