Timber! Volunteers got to work on Upton Heath.

With the heathland grazing area threatened by trees attempting to convert the scarce habitat to woodland, Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Make A Difference Day, was determined to do just that.

“We absolutely depend on volunteers and have done ever since the trust was started 50 years ago,” said Nicky Hoar, trust communications officer.

Heath has to be managed for the benefit of the vast array of creatures that depend on it, including the six types of reptiles, birds such as nightjar and dartford warbler, spiders, plants, insects and dragonflies.

Not far away from the volunteers, including a party from Barclays Bank, the area devastated by an arson attack in June is slowly coming back to life.

The blackened appearance of the heath is being hidden beneath green grass and brown bracken and plans are in hand to graze it with cows or ponies to encourage the growth of gorse and heather, which has started to return.

“They will keep the vegetation down, which gives the heather and gorse a chance,” said Nicky.

“It also reduces the fire load, so there is not so much to burn, if a fire does happen.”

Fire breaks will be put in and with some of the money raised through the appeal, £40,105 to date, they hope to get match funding to surface a track.

“It’s difficult terrain,” said Nicky, “which includes bogs and undulating areas. Even the Land Rovers got stuck when they were firefighting.”

Signs of recovery are there, including parasitic plant dodder, whose red, string-like appearance is covering gorse; Steve Davis, volunteering manager, takes heart from an area to the east that burned seven or eight years ago.

“Parts of that are far better for sand lizards than the area we just lost,” he said.

“There are open, sandy areas where they can bask in the sun and gorse to scoot into if they need to.”