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Author Topic: Gorse management  (Read 2410 times)

Southern Northerner

  • Joined Jun 2017
Gorse management
« on: September 17, 2018, 03:58:45 pm »
I’m looking for some practical advice please on the management of gorse.  One of my fields which is some 2-3 acres on a steep incline is riddled with it.  The field is used for horse grazing in the winter (as there are still areas of grass) but not much else at present and I would dearly love to get it back to grass.  All ideas and suggestions welcomed.  Many thanks.

arobwk

  • Joined Nov 2015
  • Kernow: where 2nd-home owners rule !
Re: Gorse management
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2018, 07:55:14 pm »
Hi SN.  My method has been a combination of a strimmer with saw-blade attached (a decent sized strimmer is recommended for saw-blades - mine's a 40cc) and a 3PL box-blade mounted ont' small tractor.  A pole chain-saw would be just as good as bladed-strimmer:  anything that doesn't involve getting in too close for comfort! 

I have used strimmer/blade 1st if gorse is really mature and then gone in to rip out stumps/roots with the box-blade tines.  The latter means that the turf is churned up which, in your case, will further reduce grazing availability for a while and, of course, you would need means of restoring the churned areas for grazing.  That said, I seem to think gorse does not like hard pruning (down to the ground) and it may well be that the roots can be left to eventually rot away:  not absolutely certain about that, but if they do re-sprout, a topper or flail mower or even a line-strimmer could be used to check any regrowth as it appears (and the roots will eventually die as a result). 

If existing gorse trunks not too thick already, a simple pass with tractor/flail mower (or similar) might be viable.  If well mature, you could alternatively get in a "digger" perhaps to up-root the gorse and sort-of level out disturbed areas after the up-rooting. 

And then the getting rid of arisings:  from my experience, gorse "leaves" burn readily, but gorse wood needs to be quite dry to burn well. 




Dogwalker

  • Joined Nov 2011
Re: Gorse management
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2018, 06:26:12 am »
I used to have a gorse bush sticking out of one of my hedges.  The first year the goats trimmed it to bare stem, the second they killed it.

Get goats!

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Gorse management
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2018, 10:06:03 am »
Search on the farming forum (https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?forums) - there is a guy in NZ who spray's his with a warm salt solution which kills them dead.

Southern Northerner

  • Joined Jun 2017
Re: Gorse management
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2018, 12:02:46 pm »
Many thanks for these ideas. 

The gradient precludes the use of tractors albeit some more lower slung machinery may work - I do have some concerns about damage to the land caused by this approach though.  I have used a saw blade strimmer like you arobwk to remove it from my other fields but it’s the scale in this particular field that has led me to ask for your views.  I tried my goats Dogwalker but they turned their noses up - I suppose we’re all entitled to be choosy!  Lastly thanks Foobar - I’ll take a look at that and had wondered whether spraying would be the most practical approach.  I know people have mixed views on their usage but I’ll ask anyway - have people used herbicides and if so what type?

Thanks again and any further thoughts would be much appreciated.

Steph Hen

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Angus Scotland.
Re: Gorse management
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2018, 09:40:37 pm »
Probably quite antiquated, but back in the day we'd burn it which takes off all the needles and twigs, then saw off the remaining branches down to the ground. It always grows back, but it takes a while. Burning makes cutting it up a dirty job but much faster as you can go straight to the middle and see whats what. Many safety/legality issues I expect? Small gorse can be rather palatable to animals when its soft, around mid summer.   

Southern Northerner

  • Joined Jun 2017
Re: Gorse management
« Reply #6 on: September 19, 2018, 09:15:47 pm »
Thanks Steph.  I think this approach was taken by the previous owner of our farm with the effect the gorse grew back even more strongly, probably as no cutting back was done afterwards.  As you say legalities make this approach difficult and I certainly don’t think I’m qualified to do it.

 

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