Trust helps restore rare plant population in Epping Forest

Trust helps restore rare plant population in Epping Forest - Essex Wildlife Trust

4 people crouching down next to a bare patch of earth — Bell heather planting at Epping Forest from left to right: Dr Jeremy Dagley (Director of Conservation, Essex Wildlife Trust), Andy Froud (Biodiversity Officer, City of London Corporation), Dr Paul Fletcher (Botanist), Tanith Cook (Head of Conservation, City of London Corporation) – photo by Andrew Wakefield

Bell heather returns to Epping Forest after 50 years.

A delicate heathland species, bell heather (Erica cinerea), is set to make its return to Epping Forest after disappearing more than 50 years ago. This restoration effort is part of a conservation collaboration between Essex Wildlife Trust and City of London Corporation.

Bell heather, which thrives on dry, free-draining acid heathland, was once present at Long Running Heath in Epping Forest but vanished in the late 1960s. Unlike its relative heather (Calluna vulgaris), or the cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) which prefers damper conditions, bell heather has very specific habitat needs, making it particularly vulnerable to habitat loss.

Today, its only known location in Essex is at Tiptree Heath nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) managed by Essex Wildlife Trust in partnership with the Friends of Tiptree Heath. This site currently stands as the last refuge for bell heather in Essex, and the only site in the county where you can see all three species of heather.