Burn shrublands to reduce impacts of pollutants

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 2
Share Tweet Email

View assessment score

How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

0%
Certainty

17%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Pollutants such as nitrogen can accumulate in the soils and vegetation of shrublands. Burning of vegetation may help to reduce nitrogen pools and aid recovery of plant species supressed by pollution.

Study locations

Key messages

One randomized, replicated, controlled study in the UK found that prescribed burning to reduce the impact of nitrogen deposition did not alter the shoot length of common heather or the number of purple moor grass seedlings compared to mowing.
A controlled study in the UK found that burning to reduce the concentration of pollutants in a heathland affected by nitrogen pollution did not alter the cover or shoot length of heather relative to areas that were mowed.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A controlled study in 1998-2000 in a heathland site in Surrey, UK (Barker et al. 2004) found that burning to reduce the concentration of pollutants did not alter the cover or shoot length of heather Calluna vulgaris relative to areas that were mowed. After two years, heather cover did not differ significantly between areas where prescribed burning was carried out (83%) and mowed areas (77-88% cover). Additionally, heather shoot length did not differ significantly between areas where prescribed burning was undertaken (14 cm) and mowed areas (14-16 cm). In 1998 eight 16 m² plots were mowed and four plots were burned. Vegetation cover and shoot length were estimated every year in 1998-2000.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Barker C.G., Power S.A., Bell J.N.B. & Orme C.D.L. (2004) Effects of habitat management on heathland response to atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Biological Conservation, 120, 41-52.
A randomized, replicated, controlled study in 1998-2000 in a lowland heathland site in Surrey, UK (Power et al. 2001) found that prescribed burning to reduce the impact of nitrogen deposition did not alter the shoot length of common heather Calluna vulgaris or the number of purple moor grass Deschampsia flexuosa seedlings when compared to mowing. In areas that were burned common heather shoot length did not differ significantly (13cm) from shoot length in areas that were mowed (13-15 cm). The number of purple moor grass seedlings did not differ significantly between areas where prescribed burning was used and areas that were mowed (burned: 1.6 seedlings/plot; mowed: 1-1.5 seedlings/plot). In January 1998 four 4 x 4 m plot were established. Nitrogen was added to each plot as a mist of ammonium sulfate to simulate nitrogen deposition. Each plot was divided into four subplots, two of which were mowed, one of which was burned using prescribed burning methods, and one of which was burned to simulate a wildfire. Shoot length and cover were measured in 25 points in each subplot in October 1998-2000. Seedlings establishment was recorded in September 1999.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Power S.A., Barker C.G., Allchin E., Ashmore M.R. & Bell J. (2001) Habitat management: a tool to modify ecosystem impacts of nitrogen deposition? Scientific World Journal, 1, 714-721.

Please cite as:

Martin, P.A., Rocha, R., Smith, R.K. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Shrubland and Heathland Conservation. Pages 483-525 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Shrubland and Heathland Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Burn shrublands to reduce impacts of pollutants Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	2	Synopsis Link
Reduce pesticide use on nearby agricultural/forestry land Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Add lime to shrubland to reduce the impacts of sulphur dioxide pollution Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link