Bracken - love it or hate it?

Bracken is a very ancient plant with fossil records showing it existed 55 million years ago. Although beautiful particularly this time of year as it changes colour, bracken poses a significant problem as it rapidly spreads through spores and underground rhizomes. It overshadows other plants and can damage archaeological sites beneath the soil. It becomes a major problem as it encroaches on heathlands, altering habitats and outcompeting rare and specialised plants. The New Forest's unique landscapes are due to the poor acidic soil, but bracken's deep roots can access nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen, enriching the soil and changing the habitat.

Photo by Roz Tucker

Bracken is toxic to livestock, and the toxins can be found in the milk of animals that consume it as it spreads into their grazing areas. Additionally, it negatively impacts insects, as consuming it releases hormones that can lead to multiple moults and premature death. In the past, commoners would cut bracken in their local area this time of year when it turned brown but was still standing. They would then dry it and use it as bedding for their animals. I know a few commoners who maintain this tradition and cut bracken in a specific area annually, and there's a noticeable difference in the regularly cut land.

Reflecting on those times, most commoners had fewer animals and gathered bracken with a cart, but today, commoners and farmers have larger holdings with more animals. They own large machinery, off-road vehicles, and trailers. It's more time-efficient to go and buy straw from a local farmer and load it in a trailer than to cut bracken. Considering the height of the bracken, a commoner would need good knowledge of the land they want to cut as there's a risk of hitting a tree stump or rock, potentially causing costly damage to a tractor. In my opinion, this encroachment needs to be controlled due to its risk of altering the landscape, increasing forest fire risks, and being a favourite hiding spot for ticks.

Its not all bad, it provides shelter for reptiles and amphibians as well as small mammals and is a food source for several, common moth caterpillars. Deer will also graze on the young fronds. It was once used as thatching and still used as a peat substitute in compost. Forestry England use some of the bracken to mulch into compost, but unfortunately it is only making a small dent in a much larger problem.

We can all play a part by looking to the ‘old ways’ and whip or step on young bracken in early summer to weaken its growth, just as our grandparents did and the grazing animals do.

As with all plants, bracken has mythology and folklore linked to it, and one of the stories is that if you hold the tiny spores it will make you invisible in the landscape and maybe this is why it is associated with being a favourite of the forest fae.