HEATHER in the North West is on the increase for the first time in 50 years.
Figures released today by the Lancaster-based Moorland Association show that during the past 15 years, the steep decline which saw almost 200,000 acres of heather lost between 1945 and 1985 alone, has steadily been reversed.
More than 160,000 acres of heather moorland have been created or brought into management and improved by a combination of re-seeding, bracken control and a reduction of grazing on the moors.
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