Heathland Fires by The Sherwood Forest Trust

In 2020, The Sherwood Forest Trust received a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to facilitate the delivery of their ‘Green Recovery Challenge Fund’ project. A large part of this project is focused on conserving and restoring two important heathland sites in the area, one of which is Oak Tree Heath in Mansfield.
Over the years, Oak Tree Heath has suffered immense fire damage, caused by both deliberate fire-setting to vegetation and litter, and extremely hot weather. This has caused the loss of over a third of the vegetation on the heath, having obvious detrimental effects on wildlife populations. Over the past year the Trust has been dedicated to targeting and reducing this fire-setting through the provision of educational events for the local community and through the production of a legacy video, aimed at highlighting the importance of heathland habitat and its vulnerability to fire damage. This video, along with a virtual activity resource, is set to be circulated to schools in the area and be a platform for lessons and overall curriculums.
Back in the spring of 2021, the Trust hosted an action day alongside Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service at Tesco Superstore in Mansfield, engaging with over 100 people throughout the day and having conversations about the importance of Oak Tree Heath as a unique and diverse habitat and ways in which we can prevent fire damage. In the following months, the Trust’s Nature Volunteer Coordinator, Katie Doull, ran practical sessions on Oak Tree Heath with Asquith Primary School, 8th Mansfield Cubs & Scouts and members of the public, engaging nearly 200 children and 50 adults in activities aimed at raising awareness of the importance of the flora and fauna on Oak Tree Heath, and ways we can protect it.
Through this engagement and practical work, there is evidence of recovery, with young heather beginning to emerge from the previously burnt bare ground. This offers glimmers of hope that despite the neglect this habitat has seen over the years, nature will always prevail and it is hoped that Oak Tree Heath will once again be an oasis for an abundance of unique wildlife.