A history of burning as a management tool in the English uplands 1: Estimates of the areal extent of management burning in the English uplands (ENRR667)

The aim of this project was to conduct an assessment of the scale of current burning practice within the English Uplands, and to identify possible changes that might have occurred over recent periods. The vegetation cover categories considered for the assessment were based upon the broad habitats included in the Land Cover Map 2000 survey and identified as blanket bog, dry and wet heath, bracken, acid grass and montane communities. To achieve this the study acquired aerial photography for 2000 and the periods 1943-52 and 1965-80 and interpreted these with a view to identifying both the current and historical extent of burning practice by deriving estimates of burn parcel size, shape and return period.