 Worldwide
heathlands are rare. They occur in areas which combine poor soils with a cool, moist
climate.In Europe,they occur in oceanic cool, temperate regions where tree growth is
suppressed in some way (usually where the local microclimate is inhospitable for tree
growth, or where human activity prevents their establishment). Heathlands are also found
in sub-arctic/ antarctic regions where it is too cold for tree growth (e.g Northern
Canada, Russia and Scandinavia) and on mountains where the humidity is high enough.In Europe, lowland heathland
occurs mainly in a zone bordering the Atlantic and North Sea, where there is a cool moist
oceanic climate with mild winters and cool summers. The UK has approximately
20% of
Europe's remaining lowland heath. Most of this is concentrated in the southern and eastern
counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey, Suffolk and Norfolk.
Twenty five percent of the South West's lowland heathland area occurs in Devon. Ten percent of this South West heathland resource is in East Devon. This represents 2.5% of the remaining UK heathland area.
(See East Devon Biodiversity Action Plan (EDBAP)).
What is heathland? Heathland Geology This website is hosted by the Offwell Woodland & Wildlife Trust and managed by Quartz Productions |
