As giant hogweed season approaches, our top roping team has been making preparations on the cliffs of Muirden Farm!
Muirden Farm, in the River Deveron catchment, has a giant hogweed infestation on the old quarry cliffs which require specialist top roping contractors to access. The quarry is next to a small burn which feeds into the River Deveron, so it is essential to tackle the infestation to prevent giant hogweed from flowering and spreading seed into the burn.
The site was first controlled in 2025 and it was discovered at the time that the infestation was bigger than anticipated. The cliffs are covered in gorse and broom, as well as giant hogweed plants, which can make access even more difficult. It was decided that clearance work would take place ahead of the 2026 control season to make treatment more manageable.
By clearing paths through these dense and (in the case of gorse) spiny shrubs, it will be easier to carry out giant hogweed control later in spring. These access paths will be used in just a few months time when the top ropers return to spray hogweed plants on the cliff sides.
Giant hogweed seedlings were found throughout the site during this clearance work. We anticipate it will take several years to deplete the existing seedbank and eradicate this invasive non-native plant from the quarry site.
Thanks to our wonderful top roping team, Blokes on Ropes, for all their hard work at the quarry!
