Habitat Spotlight Series: Mixed Scrub
As part of our Habitat Spotlight Series, we’re taking a closer look at the different habitat types that frequently feature in biodiversity assessments, planning discussions, and habitat creation projects. Each edition explores a specific habitat in more detail - what it is, where it occurs, its ecological value, and how it’s treated within the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) framework.
In this edition, we’re focusing on Mixed Scrub
Scrub is an incredibly valuable habitat that supports a wide range of species. While it sometimes suffers from a reputation for being untidy or difficult to manage, it is, in fact, a transitional ecological phase - a stage in natural succession where grassland begins to revert to woodland.
Scrub offers essential resources for wildlife: shelter from predators and harsh weather, nesting sites, food (such as berries, nuts, and nectar), materials for nest-building, and hunting grounds for small mammals, birds, and invertebrates.
Its dense, often impenetrable structure also serves an important role in woodland regeneration.
Acting as a ‘tree nursery’, scrub protects young saplings from grazing pressure - particularly by deer - giving woodland species a chance to establish. For this reason, scrub is frequently found on woodland edges or in areas transitioning toward woodland. Many scrub plants are pioneer species, which means they can rapidly colonise open ground.
There is a wide variety of scrub types across the UK, influenced by factors such as climate, soil type, and location.
The BNG Metric recognises at least eight scrub habitat types, ranging from Very High distinctiveness habitats like Mountain heaths and willow scrub to Low distinctiveness invasive habitats such as Rhododendron scrub.
Medium distinctiveness scrubs include willow scrub, bramble scrub, hawthorn scrub, hazel scrub, and the commonly referenced mixed scrub.
Mixed scrub is characterised by a diverse mixture of species - typically bramble, blackthorn, hawthorn, and others - rather than being dominated by a single species. Woody plants in mixed scrub are usually less than five metres tall, with a range of ages and heights, and often include open glades or clearings, adding to the habitat’s structural diversity.
If you're looking for help for your project you can find ecological support here and help sourcing biodiversity units here.
Did you know that every 90 days we do a review of the pricing of BNG across England?
Get the latest copy: click here