Description:
The MoorLIFE 2020 project aims to restore and protect areas of Blanket Bog within the SPM SAC, through undertaking concrete conservation activities, environmental monitoring and communication / education events.
This case study uses field data to estimate the amount of carbon released from the peat as a result of the 2018 wildfire. This is possible because Moors for the Future Partnership has an existing monitoring site on the area which was damaged by the wildfire, allowing for before and after data to be collected.
Location:
Edale, Moorland Centre, Fieldhead, Hope Valley
Partners, organisations and stakeholders involved:
Staffordshire Wildfire Trust
Aims of the project/initiative:
The research aims to estimate the amount of carbon released as a result of the wildfire in 2018. This fits into the wider MoorLife 2020 objectives of monitoring threats to Blanket Bogs, by quantifying the impact a wildfire can have on carbon emissions. Additionally, it allows us to compare these emissions to those generated through MoorLIFE 2020 activities, setting our work in the wider context of carbon emissions.
Challenges and lessons learned:
This research represents a unique opportunity, as studies using field based measurements to study wildfire are limited due to their unpredictability. These types of studies are rare because before and after peat depth data is required to quantify the amount of peat lost as a result of the wildfire. Moors for the Future Partnership is also undertaking a similar study on another site at Marsden. Which has allowed us to develop the methodology further to include the vegetation component of the ecosystem.