Almost £2,000 is needed to restore natural heather and grassland in north east Ipswich following a series of fires in 2022.
Rushmere Commoners Committee is seeking funding of £1,980 from the Ipswich Borough Council’s North East Area Committee to regenerate the heathland habitats at Rushmere Heath in Rushmere St Andrew.
A series of big fires attacked the area in the summer of 2022.
Some large areas of shrubland were destroyed by the fire near Rushmere Golf Club in June and August last year.
Busy day for Red at Princes street yesterday, finishing with a fire over the Heath. Video showing the early stages of the fire before fire service was on scene. At its peak took 6 appliances to get under control pic.twitter.com/3m9YpoXyIQ
— Princes Street Fire Station (@PrincesStreet03) August 10, 2022
Huge plumes of smoke were then spotted around the town.
Four fire crews also attended a field blaze at Rushmere Heath in April this year.
Rushmere Commoners Committee, which manages approximately 170 acres of common land on the eastern edge of Ipswich, Rushmere St Andrew and Kesgrave, said that the fire has given them an opportunity to remove the gorse roots and re-establish heather and grassland.
Gorse and woodland have taken over areas that were historically heathland and grasslands.
As a result of this, natural nesting areas for birds and breeding grounds for insects and butterflies have been reduced.
The Rushmere Commoners Committee aims to preserve the area to maximise local biodiversity through the planned works.
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