Responses to severe fires in heathland mosaics in Southern England Original Research Article

We investigated the effects of uncontrolled fires in 1976 on 11 large heaths in Dorset, England, which were unmanaged over the period of study. These heaths consisted of mosaics of heathland and associated semi-natural vegetation which we categorised into a number of vegetation types. We compared the cover values and species compositions of these types in burnt and unburnt zones in 1978 shortly after the fires and again in 1987. The vegetation in the unburnt zones was stable between the two surveys except for a loss of some dry heathland to scrub and woodland invasion. The dry, humid and wet heathlands and peatland showed few responses to the fires and all effects were transitory. Some of the scrub, woodland and carr vegetation was burnt out and the latter two vegetation types had not recovered by 1987. The scrub recolonised rapidly in the burnt zones but with a changed species composition. Bracken showed slight increases after burning. The uncontrolled fires did not seem to have the devastating effects on the heathland vegetation that might be expected. We discuss the reasons for this.