Broads Reed and Sedge Cutters’ Association – Improving Fen Access for Reed Harvesting

£1,200 has been awarded to The Broads Reed and Sedge Cutters’ Association to enable them to purchase 20 specialist mats so that they can access a number of sites that are managed for conservation and commercial reed, (renowned for its high quality and used in fencing and thatching roofs across the country) and sedge.

The mats will prevent ground damage to these biodiverse peat fens and facilitate the removal of the quality local product from the marsh. The reed cutters are having to adapt their operations to meet the challenges of climate change and rising sea levels.   Currently many areas of marsh can only be accessed on foot and laying these transportable and temporary track ways over areas of unstable ground will enable specialist machinery to remove the final product.