Barrow Brook Habitat Scheme
The
Trust has recently carried out one of its habitat schemes at Barrow Brook situated between Whalley and Mitton in the Ribble Valley. There was a lot of debris polluting the stream itself which does not provide ideal conditions for fish, and along the banks was an abundance of Himalayan Balsam. The invasive plant species flowers between June and October and produces seed pods that can scatter seeds for up to 7m. This extensive seed dispersal, coupled with high pollination levels means that Himalayan Balsam dominates other native plants and greatly decreases the biodiversity along the river banks. The Trust have sprayed the Himalayan Balsam with herbicides in an attempt to clear the banks to allow other species to grow, a process that needs to be repeated year after year due to the aggressive nature of the plant.
In addition to the Balsam spraying, the Trust has cleared the debris from the brook and has fenced off 650m of the bank to allow natural regeneration of the area. The fencing also prevents farm stock gaining access to the stream which can cause increased erosion of the bank and adds excessive sediment to the stream itself.
