Bracken - what should we do with it - cut, bruise, trample, spray, use or admire?  These were some of the questions posed at the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) Cymru's Bracken Management Day. Over sixty people attended the day which started at Canolfan Ceiriog, Glyn Ceiriog near Chirk on Thursday 2 July, kindly sponsored by Monsanto and the Countryside Council for Wales.  Alun Edwards, chairman of FWAG Cymru (and presenter on S4C's Ffermio) chaired the day in his usual entertaining and informative style. The main guest speaker was Professor Rob Marrs, President of the Heather Trust and Head of Biological Sciences at Liverpool University. Professor Marrs is a leading world expert on bracken and gave an excellent presentation on the botany & ecology of the plant, control methods (including the results of his long term experiments) and its effects on animal health. He explained how bracken was regarded as a useful material in the past - used as thatch, bedding, fuel for baking and brewing, potash for glass and soap making and as compost. It features in folklore and legend in all parts of the UK, and Prof Marrs recited the verse "Aur dan y rhedyn, Arian dan yr eithin, Newyn dan y grug" very well in his broad Scottish accent! Translated this means "Gold under bracken, Silver under gorse, Starvation under heather".

Arfon Hughes of the Countryside Council for Wales spoke about bracken in the context of the Berwyn as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). He roughly estimated that 7% of the Berwyn which is within the SSSI is bracken covered, and although the day's focus was on bracken control, he reminded us of its importance to some of the beautiful small mountain birds such as stonechat and winchat. Dominic Lamb of Monsanto talked about the chemicals available to control the plant and emphasised how ideal round-up is. The active chemical is glyphosate, the world's most successful herbicide. The formulated product is round-up and in this form the plant can take up the chemical very quickly. He explained that it is not harmful environmentally as it breaks down into carbon dioxide and water. The final speaker in the morning was Mike Davies of MD Air Services who has been spraying bracken in the area from the air for over 25 years.

After lunch, a convoy of vehicles made their way up to Tregeiriog to the afternoon demonstration site on a hillside at Berllan Helyg, by kind permission of Mr Rupert Greenwell. Numerous demonstrators/machine suppliers had been very busy setting up for the afternoon and also pre-treating the site in preparation for the day, and this was very much appreciated. Sam and his team from Logic explained and demonstrated their weed wipers, with Terry Royston and Clive from Micron doing likewise. An ATV ( all terrain vehicle)- drawn  bracken bruiser operated by Cadwyn Clwyd was demonstrated as was a tractor mounted  bracken cutter supplied by Richard Hughes from Hughes Brothers of Oswestry in conjunction with Steve of Teagle. Some plots had been pre-treated using the various methods of chemical and mechanical control with the effectiveness of the different treatments apparent.