For many years, people who lived near peatlands would cut sods of peat, allow them to dry and use them for fuel.  This, and other human activities such as Draining for agriculture, Deforestation Burning for ‘sporting’ purposes Testing of ordinance Tin streaming (in the case of Dartmoor) have left areas of peatland in a parlous state.  Often there are deep gullies and ditches, so water runs off and the peat dries out, no new material is formed  It is estimated that some 80% of peatlands in the UK are in a damaged or degraded state. They now represent a carbon source rather than a store. When healthy, peatlands can store twice as much carbon as forests, playing a part in reducing global emissions of carbon dioxide and helping to reduce / control flooding, and supporting biodiversity. Sadly, peat forms very slowly, forming (roughly) at a rate one millimetre per year. Peat is formed by the decomposition of plant material under water logged conditions. So at its deepest point, the peat on Dartmoor in nine metres in depth and therefore represent thousands of years of history and can be an archaeological treasure trove. [caption id="attachment_43175" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Scottish moorland[/caption] The UK’s Climate Change Committee has a target that 50% of upland peatlands and 25% of lowland peatlands should be restored to a natural condition by 2050.  If nothing is done, and the climate becomes warmer and drier, then the peatlands of the south west of England could be a thing of the past. Efforts are being made on areas such as Dartmoor to restore the landscape.  The gullies and ditches are being blocked, so that rainwater is retained and the water table is raised so that the wetness of the area is restored.  BY ‘reprofilling’ the landscape, pools will again form and sphagnum moss and other plants will grow and the process of peat formation will begin again.   In recent years, a project  [The South West Peatland Partnership] funded by Natural England South West Water & The National Trust has restored some 1700 hectares of damaged peat bog in the South West.  Whilst this is a long term project, some promising results have been observed such as an increases in the number and species of dragonflies.  They represent food for the next trophic (feeding) level, so that perhaps in time the number of wading birds and mammals on the moor may increase. Other areas of peatland, such as the blanket bogs of Caithness and Sutherlands and the Peak District need to be monitored as they too are at risk. Details of current work can be found here.

This year's Spring saw a number of fires damaging important UK wildlife habitats.  In Northern Ireland, wildfires have often spread through gorse, which is widespread, often dry and flammable.  One such fire occurred at Slieve Beagh.  The area is mainly blanket bog, with small lakes and streams.  The fire here raged for three days and has destroyed a large area of blanket bog.  It was described as a ‘hot burn’, in that it advanced slowly and burned deep into the blanket bog. Hotter and drier Springs have contributed to greater amounts of dry material,  The bog is the habitat of the hen harrier - an endangered species, as well as being important site for migrating and over-wintering birds. [caption id="attachment_42436" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Moorland[/caption] There will now been a concerted effort to restore the area, which was designated a RAMSAR (wetland) SITE in 1999 and is an area of special scientific interest.  Whilst the burnt area is now green again, the new vegetation lacks the variety of original plant species.  Much is grass, which could contribute to another fire; it will take many years for species like sphagnum moss, bog myrtle and bilberry to return. Sphagnum moss creates a habitat that helps in formation of. Peat.  Peat forms in wetland conditions, when water accumulates and oxygen is limited slowing the rate of decomposition.  If the bog flora can be re-established, then insects will return and, in turn, the birds.  An absence of predators, coupled with suitable weather would see successful broods of chicks raised, and a functional ecosystem restored. The RBCT (River Blackwater Catchment Trust) is working with various agencies to create a fire plan. Burns apart from destroying the habitat, release vast quantities of carbon dioxide from the stored carbon in the peat.   The plan is to include  the introduction of grazing, which should help control the amount of accumulation of flammable vegetation, and  make use of technology such as drones to find and fight fires.   Drones might also spot people, who are frequently responsible for such fires.  

The Flow Country is a large area of peatland and wetland in the north of Scotland (Caithness and Sutherland). It is one of the largest expanses of blanket bog in Europe. It is characterised by deep layers of peat and bog pools.   Wetlands, like this,  are important  as They offer a significant wildlife habitat and They act as mitigating agents in terms of climate change (locking up large amounts of carbon). However, some four decades ago, parts of the Flow Country were planted with conifers,  there were financial incentives to  this planting; namely : grants were available towards the costs of planting other costs were tax deductible so investors spent only 20p for every £1 of capital invested prospectively, income from timber was to be virtually untaxed. This ‘forestation’ of wetlands is now generally regarded as a mistake, not only damaging a unique environment but leading to increased carbon emissions.  Now it seems possible that similar mistakes may be made again.    Read more...

The blog has reported on moorland fires and the importance of peat-based ecosystems on a number of occasions.  However, a new report has raised serious concerns about the state of peatlands, not just in the U.K but across Europe and Scandinavia.   Many ‘peatlands are in a dry and fragile state’, so that rather than acting as natural carbon sinks, they start to release carbon.   Peatlands actually store about five times more carbon than forests (across Europe). Read more...

Radiant energy from the sun falls on the Earth; some of this energy is absorbed by the planet and its atmosphere.  Some of the energy is radiated back into space.  The balance between the absorbed and radiated energy determines global temperature.  This balance is changed by a number of factors - the intensity of the solar energy, cloud reflectivity, the absorption of energy by various gases or surfaces. The reflectivity of the Earth’s surface  (the albedo) influences the amount of light energy that is reflected back into space. Snow has a high albedo, that is, it reflects much of the light back out into space.  Dark objects (like conifer plantations) reflect less light / radiation and absorb more thereby trapping heat that would otherwise be reflected back into space. The amount of energy that is ‘retained’ is also influenced by the presence of particular gases in the atmosphere - the so-called 'greenhouse gases', notably carbon dioxide and methane.  The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased dramatically from 280 ppm during the 10,000 years up to the mid-18th century to 415 ppm (as of 2019).  This increase has certainly contributed to the changes in climate that we have witnessed in recent years - extreme weather events such as heat waves and flooding.   Read more...

Last year, the Woodland’s blog reported on the moorland fires around the U.K. and this Easter weekend yet another fire has been reported at Ilkley  These fires have a devastating effect on local wildlife.  Sadly,  extensive peat wildfires have occurred in places as diverse as Indonesia (in 2015) and Greenland.   The fire (in Indonesia) and its associated smoke was responsible for the deaths of people and animals,  and caused billions of pounds of damage through the destruction of homes and businesses.  Also,  the fires released truly massive amounts of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere. Read more...

The recent hot spell has seen a number of fires, not only in the UK but across the world (Arizona , Victoria Australia, Indonesia).  Spells of extreme heat (and drought) have been known throughout history but it would seem that with climate change / global warming extreme events have become more common.   Data show that the years of the 21st century are among the warmest on record - global air temperatures have risen by 1oC since the industrial revolution. Extreme temperatures have been recorded in many places across the globe.   Ouargla in Algeria soared to 124.3o F (51.3oC), Denver recorded at temperature of 105o F, Montreal recorded 97.9o F, Glasgow hit 89.4o F, Shannon in Ireland reached 89.6o F, Tbilisi (Georgia) soared to 104.9o F and parts of Pakistan are reported to have reached 50oC.   No record by itself can be ascribed to global warming but these and many other records across the globe are consistent with the extremes that can now be expected (more often) in a world that is warming - as atmospheric greenhouse gas levels increase due to human activity (we have entered the anthropocene). Hot and dry conditions mean that plant material can dry out quickly, so that a thicker layer of plant material / litter is formed - which provides significant fuel for fires.   Studies of some areas suggest that the increased Winter and Spring rainfall (again associated with climate change) encourages plant growth, creating more material for fires (when dry conditions obtain later in the year). Read more...

Grouse shooting makes an important contribution to the local economy of upland areas - such as those in Scotland, contributing many millions of pounds.  In order to create / maintain the patchwork of habitats to suit the birds, land owners periodically burn patches of vegetation in order to encourage the regeneration and new growth of heather (and other plants).  Older birds tend to 'favour' tall heather patches where they can shelter / hide, whereas young birds like to feed on tender, fresh shoots of heather. Read more...