Drones could help cut cost of peatland restoration - The Moorland Association
A pioneering research project is testing whether drones could cut the cost of peatland restoration in Yorkshire.
Swinton Estate, a member of the Moorland Association, is taking part in a 10-year study in partnership with Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire Peat Partnership (YPP) and the University of Manchester to assess the impact of sphagnum mosses on habitat restoration.
The project is a detailed assessment of the reintroduction of sphagnum mosses in peatland habitats, to help prevent carbon emissions and improve water storage in the soil. Sphagnum mosses are important peat-forming plants, helping to contribute to long-term carbon sequestration in bog habitats.
The use of drones could be a game changer because peatland restoration is currently very expensive and labour intensive.
The research, which began in August 2017, seeks to understand the impact of reintroducing sphagnum to achieve environmental benefits such as improving water storage in the soil and preventing emissions of greenhouse gases.
YPP hopes to also evaluate whether drones could be used for ongoing monitoring of any sphagnum which has been planted, instead of requiring people to undertake this work.
The study site is located on Masham-Colsterdale Moor on Swinton Estate, in Nidderdale National Landscape in North Yorkshire. The land is managed for grouse shooting and is also used for sheep grazing.
Sixty plots of ground have been studied in detail by the research team, with varying peat depths of between 30cm and 190cm.
A report on the first two years of the project showed that sphagnum cover increased from 10 per cent to 58 per cent on the treated sites. Greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane, were also measured as part of the research. The results showed that net carbon uptake was occurring – meaning that more carbon was being stored in the soil than emitted though natural processes.
Post-war drainage and historic air pollution caused by industrial processes have damaged areas of peatland in the north of England, resulting in patches of bare peat which emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Re-vegetating these areas will help ensure carbon remains in the ground.