Mixed Scrub BNG Units
Medium
Heathland and shrub
Trusted by Developers and Landowners
What is Mixed Scrub?
Mixed scrub is a habitat of dense or scattered shrubs, typically 1–5 metres tall, composed of a range of native woody species. It often develops as a transitional stage between grassland and woodland, or where land is left unmanaged. Scrub can form mosaics with grassland, woodland edges, or hedgerows, creating valuable structural diversity.
Why It Matters for BNG
Mixed scrub supports birds, pollinators and small mammals. Creating structurally diverse scrub helps deliver moderate to good condition units and strengthens habitat networks.
Allowing scrub to develop where appropriate generates BNG opportunities with minimal intervention. Managing age structure and species mix increases unit value while supporting wildlife.
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Where It Is Found
Mixed scrub appears across a wide variety of landscapes, including:
• Grassland margins and pasture edges
• Woodland rides and glades
• Hedgerow expansions and field corners
• Brownfield sites and abandoned land
• Road verges, railway embankments, and quarries
How To Create Mixed Scrub From Scratch
Inputs
• Allow natural regeneration by excluding or reducing grazing and mowing to permit shrub seedlings to establish
• Directly plant or seed a range of native shrubs to speed up development
• Use thorny species such as hawthorn and blackthorn as “nurse shrubs” to provide protection for later colonisers
• Avoid herbicide or fertiliser applications, which suppress shrub establishment and understorey diversity
Management
• Plan for a varied age structure by planting in patches of different sizes and densities
• Retain open ground and grassy patches within new scrub to prevent uniform thickets
• In drier regions, favour drought-tolerant species such as gorse or more resilient provenances of hawthorn
• Where appropriate, coppice or cut back sections to create structural variety and prevent monocultures
Landscape
• Target planting on field corners, slopes, or margins where scrub links other semi-natural habitats
• Position new scrub adjacent to existing hedgerows, woodland, or grassland to create habitat networks
• Use scrub as a buffer strip along watercourses or between farmland and semi-natural habitats
• Plan scrub mosaics that combine dense thickets, scattered bushes, and edges to maximise biodiversity
How To Improve Existing Mixed Scrub
Inputs
• Supplement single-species thickets with additional native shrubs to broaden diversity
• Allow natural regeneration to add structural complexity without heavy intervention
Management
• Maintain a varied age structure by rotational cutting or coppicing patches
• Retain thorn thickets, bramble, and rose patches, which are valuable for invertebrates and nesting birds
• Prevent total succession to closed-canopy woodland if mixed scrub is the intended long-term habitat
Landscape
• Link scrub patches with hedgerows and woodland edges to strengthen ecological networks
• Retain gradual transitions from scrub into grassland or woodland, avoiding hard edges
• Incorporate open rides or glades for light-demanding plants and invertebrates
Target Condition
Mixed Scrub in Good Condition shows:
• A diverse mix of native shrub species, including both thorn and non-thorn types
• Structural variety, with dense thickets, scattered bushes, and open areas
• Evidence of natural regeneration and a healthy understorey
• Functional connections with adjacent habitats
The BNG Value of Mixed Scrub
• Distinctiveness: Medium
• Condition Potential: High, if structural diversity and species richness are maintained
• Habitat Connectivity: Provides strong links across fragmented landscapes
• Climate Services: Contributes to carbon storage, soil stability, and shelter for livestock
Species Typical of Mixed Scrubs
🌿 Shrubs
• Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
• Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
• Dog-rose (Rosa canina)
• Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)
• Hazel (Corylus avellana)
• Elder (Sambucus nigra)
• Gorse (Ulex europaeus) on dry sites
🐦 Birds
• Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)
• Common whitethroat (Curruca communis)
• Linnet (Linaria cannabina)
• Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
• Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
🐇Mammals
• European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
• Hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) [regionally restricted]
• Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) [bat species using scrub edges]
🐝Invertebrates
• Brown hairstreak (Thecla betulae)
• Numerous pollinators including bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and hoverflies (Syrphidae)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mixed Scrub?
A general BNG metric category for areas dominated by a mix of native shrubs and young trees (e.g., Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Willow) that doesn't fit the criteria for a specific, high-value scrub type (like Blackthorn or Gorse Scrub).
How is BNG measured here?
Assessment focuses on the species diversity of the scrub and the associated understorey/ground flora. Condition is based on the structure and extent of non-native species.
How can I achieve BNG?
Enhancement by managing the structure (rotational cutting/coppicing) to provide different age classes of scrub and controlling invasive species. Creation by planting diverse native shrubs.
What is the BNG target condition?
A Good condition often involves a mix of dense and open areas, a diverse shrub species mix, and evidence of ongoing management to prevent it from succeeding fully to woodland.
What management is required?
Rotational cutting or light grazing (where appropriate) to prevent succession to woodland and maintain the open-edge characteristics that benefit insects and birds.
Exploring Other Habitats?
Rural Tree
Rural trees are individual trees located in the open countryside that do not form part of woodland, hedgerow or wood-pasture habitats. They include isolated field trees, parkland trees, scattered trees in paddocks, and trees along rural roadsides or watercourses where they are not part of a continuous linear feature.
Ancient and veteran trees in rural locations are also recorded under this habitat type and are additionally flagged as irreplaceable habitat, meaning impacts should be avoided wherever possible.
Upland Mixed Ashwood
Upland mixed ashwoods are species-rich broadleaved woodlands found on base-rich soils in upland landscapes. They are typically dominated by ash, though locally oak, birch, wych elm, rowan, small-leaved lime or hazel may be prominent depending on site conditions.
These woodlands often develop on limestone and other calcareous substrates, including steep slopes, ravines, flushes and rocky outcrops. Many upland mixed ashwoods are ancient woodland, while others represent long-established secondary woodland that retains strong ecological continuity.
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Ponds (Non-Priority Habitat)
Non-priority ponds are small standing waterbodies, generally up to two hectares in size, that do not meet the priority pond criteria but still function as semi-natural freshwater habitats. Non-priority ponds include many farm ponds, estate ponds, attenuation ponds with natural features, and older field ponds that support aquatic and marginal vegetation but lack the exceptional species assemblages required for priority status.
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