Peat Erosion Research Articles

The erosion of Peat in the uplands of Northern Ireland

Whereas in Britain the erosion of peat in upland areas has been mapped and discussed widely, in Ireland there has been only brief mention of peat erosion and few attempts to map its distribution. In this paper the erosion of the peat in the uplands of Northern Ireland is mapped and classified; water erosion is of two types, anastomosing channels and parallel or sub-parallel gullies. The relationships of these two types to relief, to vegetational patterns, to the distribution of rock basins and to piping in the peat are discussed. Studies of townland boundaries cut in the peat surface have also shown that the activity of man in the recent past has contributed to the development of erosion. Finally, changes in climate towards wetter conditions are considered in relation to the other factors.

Spatial variability of fluvial blanket peat erosion rates for the 21st Century modelled using PESERA-PEAT

Many peatlands across the world suffer from degradation. Blanket peatlands are found mainly in high latitude oceanic areas and subpolar islands. Exacerbated erosion of blanket peatlands is common particularly where they have been disturbed by human influence or where climate has become more marginal for their functioning. A recently developed fluvial blanket peat erosion model, PESERA-PEAT was applied across 845km2 of blanket peatlands in the North Pennines of northern England. The aim was to evaluate the spatial and temporal variability of erosion rates under climate change and land management scenarios. Climate change data to the end of the 21st Century, derived from UKCP09 median emission projections aligned to the UK Met Office's historical meteorological dataset, were downscaled to 100m cells. Land management scenarios were developed which included intensified and extensified grazing, artificial drainage and prescribed burning. The modelling results showed that under current management, 21st Century climate change would slightly increase the overall fluvial erosion rates for the study region from the climatic baseline (2.2tha−1yr−1) to the 2080s (2.3tha−1yr−1). However, the predicted response to climate change was spatially very variable. Predicted erosion rates decreased at locations that are currently wet and cold while they increased in some warmer and drier locations by >50%. Summer desiccation was found to become more important for the study region under climate change. Thus, predicted autumn sediment yields became the biggest component of the annual budget by the 2080s. Less intensive management was shown to reduce blanket peat erosion but potentially enhance wildfire severity. The results demonstrated that land management change will be useful in mitigating the impact of 21st Century climate change on the amount and spatial pattern of blanket peat erosion. The results of our study can be used within blanket peatland regions to inform spatially-targeted management strategies.

Modeling sediment transport after ditch network maintenance of a forested peatland

AbstractElevated suspended sediment (SS) loads released from peatlands after drainage operations and the resulting negative effect on the ecological status of the receiving water bodies have been widely recognized. Understanding the processes controlling erosion and sediment transport within the ditch network forms a prerequisite for adequate sediment control. While numerous experimental studies have been reported in this field, model based assessments are rare. This study presents a modeling approach to investigate sediment transport in a peatland ditch network. The transport model describes bed erosion, rain‐induced bank erosion, floc deposition, and consolidation of the bed. Coupled to a distributed hydrological model, sediment transport was simulated in a 5.2 ha forestry‐drained peatland catchment for 2 years after ditch cleaning. Comparing simulation results to measured SS concentrations suggested that the loose peat material, produced during excavation, contributed markedly to elevated SS concentrations immediately after ditch cleaning. Both snowmelt and summer rainstorms contributed critically to annual loads. Springtime peat erosion during snowmelt was driven by ditch flow whereas during summer rainfalls, bank erosion by raindrop impact was identified as an important process. Relating modeling results to observed spatial topographic changes in the ditch network was challenging and the results were difficult to verify. Nevertheless, the model has potential to identify risk areas for erosion. The results demonstrate that modeling is effective in separating the importance of different processes and complements pure experimental approaches. Modeling results can aid planning and designing efficient sediment control measures and guide the focus of experimental studies.

PESERA‐PEAT: a fluvial erosion model for blanket peatlands

AbstractIn peatlands, fluvial erosion can lead to a dramatic decline in hydrological function, major changes in the net carbon balance and loss of biodiversity. Climate and land management change are thought to be important influences on rates of peat erosion. However, sediment production in peatlands is different to that of other soils and no models of erosion specifically for peatlands currently exist. Hence, forecasting the influence of future climate or spatially‐distributed management interventions on peat erosion is difficult. The PESERA‐GRID model was substantially modified in this study to include dominant blanket peat erosion processes. In the resulting fluvial erosion model, PESERA‐PEAT, freeze–thaw and desiccation processes were accounted for by a novel sediment supply index as key features of erosion. Land management practices were parameterized for their influence on vegetation cover, biomass and soil moisture condition. PESERA‐PEAT was numerically evaluated using available field data from four blanket peat‐covered catchments with different erosion conditions and management intensity. PESERA‐PEAT was found to be robust in modelling fluvial erosion in blanket peat. A sensitivity analysis of PESERA‐PEAT showed that modelled sediment yield was more sensitive to vegetation cover than other tested factors such as precipitation, temperature, drainage density and ditch/gully depth. Two versions of PESERA‐PEAT, equilibrium and time‐series, produced similar results under the same environmental conditions, facilitating the use of the model at different scales. The equilibrium model is suitable for assessing the high‐resolution spatial variability of average monthly peat erosion over the study period across large areas (national or global assessments), while the time‐series model is appropriate for investigating continuous monthly peat erosion throughout study periods across smaller areas or large regions using a coarser‐spatial resolution. PESERA‐PEAT will therefore support future investigations into the impact of climate change and management options on blanket peat erosion at various spatial and temporal scales. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Controls on the processing and fate of terrestrially-derived organic carbon in aquatic ecosystems: synthesis of special issue

This special issue brought together a complementary set of studies describing the range of processes affecting the cycling and fate of terrigenous organic matter within aquatic systems. It focuses in particular on headwater streams, and on peat catchments as major global sources of freshwater dissolved organic matter and of particulate organic matter in areas of peat erosion. This work is placed within the wider context of processes occurring in forested and agricultural headwaters, larger river systems and estuaries, and in a policy context in relation to national-scale carbon fluxes, the treatment of organic matter in drinking water supplies and the inclusion of aquatic carbon in international greenhouse gas accounting.

Prediction of blanket peat erosion across Great Britain under environmental change

A recently developed fluvial erosion model for blanket peatlands, PESERA-PEAT, was applied at ten sites across Great Britain to predict the response of blanket peat erosion to environmental change. Climate change to 2099 was derived from seven UKCP09 future projections and the UK Met Office’s historical dataset. Land management scenarios were established based on outputs from earlier published investigations. Modelling results suggested that as climate changes, the response of blanket peat erosion will be spatially very variable across Great Britain. Both relative changes and absolute values of sediment yield were predicted to be higher in southern and eastern areas than in western and northern parts of Great Britain, peaking in the North York Moors of eastern England. Areas with high precipitation and low temperature were predicted to have low relative erosion changes and absolute sediment yield. The model suggested that summer desiccation may become more important for blanket peat erosion under future climate change, and that temperature was more dominant than precipitation in controlling long-term blanket peat erosion change. However, in the North York Moors, precipitation appeared to be more dominant in driving long-term erosion change. Land management measures were shown to provide a means to mitigate against the impacts of climate change on blanket peat erosion.

Headcut Erosion in Wyoming's Sweetwater Subbasin.

Increasing human population and intensive land use combined with a warming climate and chronically diminished snowpacks are putting more strain on water resources in the western United States. Properly functioning riparian systems slow runoff and store water, thus regulating extreme flows; however, riparian areas across the west are in a degraded condition with a majority of riparian systems not in proper functioning condition, and with widespread catastrophic erosion of water-storing peat and organic soils. Headcuts are the leading edge of catastrophic channel erosion. We used aerial imagery (1.4-3.3-cm pixel) to locate 163 headcuts in riparian areas in the Sweetwater subbasin of central Wyoming. We found 1-m-the generally available standard resolution for land management-and 30-cm pixel imagery to be inadequate for headcut identification. We also used Structure-from-Motion models built from ground-acquired imagery to model 18 headcuts from which we measured soil loss of 425-720 m3. Normalized by channel length, this represents a loss of 1.1-1.8 m3 m(-1) channel. Monitoring headcuts, either from ground or aerial imagery, provides an objective indicator of sustainable riparian land management and identifies priority disturbance-mitigation areas. Image-based headcut monitoring must use data on the order of 3.3 cm ground sample distance, or greater resolution, to effectively capture the information needed for accurate assessments of riparian conditions.

The geology of the Amstel river in Amsterdam (Netherlands): Man versus nature

AbstractThe Amstel river is located in the peat-covered coastal plain of the Netherlands and gives Amsterdam its name (Amstel dam). It is a small secondary branch of the repeatedly bifurcating Rhine delta system. Historically, the Amstel debouched into the peat-fringed former Oer-IJ estuary, which was connected to the North Sea, but after the closure of this inlet the estuary was transformed into an inland sea (IJ) due to erosion of the adjacent peat. The Amstel river was active between 3000 BP and 1122 AD after which time the supply water from the Rhine was stopped due to the construction of a dam far upstream near Wijk bij Duurstede. On the basis of borehole data from various sources, four cross-sections were constructed in the Amstel branch to study the unknown lithology and lithostratigraphy of the Amstel sediments in the Amsterdam area. The deposits show the Amstel was a low-energy river which carried mainly clay. The cross-sections reveal that the Amstel in its downstream part was flanked by two lithologically identical layers of overbank clay, intercalated by a peat layer. The lowermost overbank clay was deposited from 3000 BP to about 1000 AD. The intercalated peat layer is estimated to have developed between the 11th and 12th centuries AD, indicating a decreased sediment supply in the Amstel, and rise of water level in the downstream river caused by Zuiderzee influences such as storms and tide. The uppermost overbank clay was deposited during major storm surges such as those documented in 1164 and 1170 AD, and was derived from the brackish Zuiderzee; it has been traced upstream along the Amstel for over 10 km. Near the mouth of the Amstel channel in the Oer-IJ estuary its bottom has been scoured by estuarine processes to a lower level. On the basis of archaeological and geological data it is argued that the Amstel channel of medieval Amsterdam had a water depth of about 6 m before the construction of a dam in the 13th century. Soil scientists, historical geographers and historians have argued that the Amstel once consisted of two separate rivers: a northern Oer-IJ connected channel draining from the Amsterdam Stopera to the north, and a southern peat draining channel draining from the Amsterdam-Watergraafsmeer to the south. The relatively straight stretch of the present-day Amstel now positioned within the urban area has been hypothesised to be man-made between the 11th and 13th centuries AD. In this paper, on the basis of geological arguments such as channel depths, overbank clays, peat composition and other characteristics, it is concluded that the Amstel had a natural channel in the Amsterdam area.

Contrasting vulnerability of drained tropical and high‐latitude peatlands to fluvial loss of stored carbon

AbstractCarbon sequestration and storage in peatlands rely on consistently high water tables. Anthropogenic pressures including drainage, burning, land conversion for agriculture, timber, and biofuel production, cause loss of pressures including drainage, burning, land conversion for agriculture, timber, and biofuel production, cause loss of peat‐forming vegetation and exposure of previously anaerobic peat to aerobic decomposition. This can shift peatlands from net CO2 sinks to large CO2 sources, releasing carbon held for millennia. Peatlands also export significant quantities of carbon via fluvial pathways, mainly as dissolved organic carbon (DOC). We analyzed radiocarbon (14C) levels of DOC in drainage water from multiple peatlands in Europe and Southeast Asia, to infer differences in the age of carbon lost from intact and drained systems. In most cases, drainage led to increased release of older carbon from the peat profile but with marked differences related to peat type. Very low DOC‐14C levels in runoff from drained tropical peatlands indicate loss of very old (centuries to millennia) stored peat carbon. High‐latitude peatlands appear more resilient to drainage; 14C measurements from UK blanket bogs suggest that exported DOC remains young (<50 years) despite drainage. Boreal and temperate fens and raised bogs in Finland and the Czech Republic showed intermediate sensitivity. We attribute observed differences to physical and climatic differences between peatlands, in particular, hydraulic conductivity and temperature, as well as the extent of disturbance associated with drainage, notably land use changes in the tropics. Data from the UK Peak District, an area where air pollution and intensive land management have triggered Sphagnum loss and peat erosion, suggest that additional anthropogenic pressures may trigger fluvial loss of much older (>500 year) carbon in high‐latitude systems. Rewetting at least partially offsets drainage effects on DOC age.

Evidence for permafrost thaw and transport from an Alaskan North Slope watershed

Burial of organic carbon (OC) in marine sediments is one of the most important linkages between the short-term biologic carbon cycle and the long-term geologic carbon cycle. Yet much is still unknown about the fate of terrigenous OC in marine coastal margins. Here the delivery of particulate OC (POC) to the Colville River deltaic region in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea by particulates of varying densities is studied through the use of ramped temperature pyrolysis and radiocarbon analyses. The Colville River is the largest river in North America whose watershed is underlain completely by high Arctic permafrost tundra. A variety of sources of POC are considered, including terrestrial soils, Pleistocene-aged yedoma-like sediments, coastal peat erosion, and marine POC. We provide the first evidence that riverine POC from the Colville River contains old (Pleistocene-sourced) OC, suggesting ongoing thaw and mobilization of yedoma-like permafrost OC from this northern Alaskan watershed. Additionally, much of this OC appears to be fairly labile and therefore could be readily oxidized and returned to the atmosphere.

Effect of soil properties on peat erosion and suspended sediment delivery in drained peatlands

AbstractErosion from peat extraction areas is known to cause siltation of water courses and poor water quality. However, the main soil parameters affecting peat erosion and suspended sediment (SS) yields from different catchments are not well understood. This paper used peat properties (degree of humification, peat type, ash content, porosity, moisture content, bulk density, and shear strength) and novel erosion threshold measurements from intact soil cores to explain peat erodibility and spatial variations in SS concentrations (SSCs) and SS loads (SSLs) at 20 Finnish peat extraction sites. The erosion threshold measurements suggested that critical shear stresses for particle entrainment decrease with increasing degree of humification (von Post scale) and are significantly lower in well‐decomposed peat than in slightly or moderately decomposed peat. Two critical shear stresses were obtained from moderately decomposed peat samples, indicating a degree of surface armoring by coarse peat fibers. Monitored long‐term average SSC was highest at study sites with well‐decomposed peat, while very fine‐grained mineral subsoil explained some of the highest long‐term SSC in areas where drainage ditches penetrated below the upper peat layer. Average SSL (kg d−1) at the study sites was best explained (R2 = 0.89) by average discharge and surface peat decomposition level. Overall, this study provides new knowledge on peat erosion and critical shear stresses that can be used in water conservation and sediment management practices for cutover peatlands and other similar land uses.

Long-term ecological study (palaeoecology) to chronicle habitat degradation and inform conservation ecology: an exemplar from the Brecon Beacons, South Wales

For ecosystems perceived as degraded, but for which the causal factors or timescales for the degradation are disputed or not known, long-term (palaeo-)ecological records may aid understanding and lead to more meaningful conservation approaches. To help ‘bridge the gap’ between (very) long-term ecology and contemporary ecology for practical application, there have been calls for working relationships to be established between palaeoecologists and conservation ecologists. One environment in which this has been attempted is blanket mire. Many blanket mires in Europe are degraded and contain few sphagna. In South Wales, almost all exhibit symptoms of degradation, with dominance by purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea) widespread. We used palaeoecological techniques on three peat profiles in the Brecon Beacons to investigate vegetation history of high-altitude blanket mire to help assess the relative contribution of various factors in mire degradation and to inform strategies for mire conservation and restoration management. We found that declines in sphagna preceded the rise to dominance of monocotyledons. Macrofossil records showed that although Molinia was already present on the Beacons before the start of the industrial revolution, its major rise to dominance in one profile was within the 20th Century, coincident with evidence for local fire. In another profile, it was out-competed by Eriophorum vaginatum after the start of the industrial revolution; there is circumstantial evidence to suggest that a reduction in burning contributed to the rise in E. vaginatum. Conservation management to reduce the current local dominance of both Eriophorum and Molinia is supported by the palaeoecological data, but severe erosion and hagging of peat will constrain practical methods for achieving this on the Beacons until the peat is stabilised. We suggest that palaeoecological techniques have wider applicability in conservation.

Agro-industrial alluvium in the Swale catchment, northern England, as an event marker for the Anthropocene

Physically and chemically distinctive late-Prehistoric and historical age alluvial deposits are characteristic of many upland and lowland river systems in the UK. Despite their widespread distribution, there have been few attempts to construct robust chronologies or to identify environmental factors that governed their formation. The Swale catchment in northern England is typical in this respect, with large areas of its valley floor covered by sedimentologically distinctive laminated sands and silts, enriched in organic material and Pb, and underlain by uncontaminated and structureless silts. Using 14C dating, chemostratigraphy, lichenometry and historical maps, a catchment-wide change in sedimentation style has been dated to between the mid 18th and early 19th centuries ad. Several causative factors were responsible for this change in sedimentation style and include the initiation of large-scale, intensive lead mining from the latter half of the 18th century onwards, embankment construction in the lowlands and historical peat erosion in the uplands. Transformation of the Swale floodplain also reflects longer-term land-use and climate change. In particular, deforestation of headwater tributaries by monastic grazing practices in the High Middle Ages (ad 1000–1300) led to a period of fine-grained sedimentation in upland catchments, as well as priming hillslopes for erosion and widespread channel network incision and increased fine sediment flux during the climatic downturn of the ‘Little Ice Age’. Sediment facies of a similar nature have been widely recorded in other northern English river catchments and represent a regional land use–climate signal characteristic of the Anthropocene. We introduce the term ‘agro-industrial alluvium’ to describe these types of deposit. They have similarities to post-settlement alluvium in North America and Australia, where historical land-use change had a similar impact on valley floor sedimentology.

Facilitation by tussock‐forming species on seedling establishment collapses in an extreme drought year in a post‐mined Sphagnum peatland

AbstractQuestionsDoes the facilitation of herbaceous species seedling establishment by tussock‐forming species collapse in an extreme drought year? Do different germination phenologies, between the seedling species, influence the variation in facilitation?LocationA post‐mined Sphagnum peatland at Sarobetsu mire, Hokkaido, northern Japan.MethodsThe effects of tussock‐forming species, as potential facilitators, on seedling emergence and survival of five perennial herbs were examined during a 4‐yr seedling monitoring, which included an extreme drought. The general effects of tussocks on each seedling species during annual variations were simultaneously assessed using hierarchical Bayesian analysis. To examine the stress limiting seedling establishment, which was ameliorated by the tussocks, micro‐environments (i.e. light, temperature, water content and erosion) altered by morphological traits of the tussocks with litter cover were compared to those in open areas.ResultsIn general, tussocks facilitated seedling establishment of all species through a positive effect on emergence and no effect on survival; however, the facilitative effect declined for several species in an extreme drought year. Peat erosion was the limiting stress on seedling establishment in normal years, however, peat water content also limited seedling establishment in a drought year. During the drought year, the positive effect of tussocks on seedling emergence for species that germinated before or during the drought was weakened for one species, and a negative effect on seedling survival emerged in another species. In contrast, species that germinated after the drought did not exhibit annual variation in the effects of tussocks on seedling emergence and survival.ConclusionsOur results illustrate that collapse of facilitation arises under extremely severe conditions through addition of infrequently occurring stress (drought) on frequently occurring stress (peat erosion). Variation in seedling emergence and survival of the five study species in response to severe drought suggests that species‐specific traits must be considered when assessing how facilitation varies temporally. Further, these findings suggest that facilitation in temporally varying environments can drive plant community composition and dynamics.

Assessing the potential for internal erosion of peat in Pennine canal dams

Ongoing risk assessments on a series of dams built to supply water locks used to ascend and descend over the summit of the Rochdale Canal have indicated that they are particularly vulnerable to internal erosion. The dams were built between 1794 and 1857. The risk assessment method known as ‘Unified Method of Risk Analysis' (Internal Erosion Toolbox) uses a generic event tree approach to assessing potential seepage and piping failure paths. A number of potential initiation modes identified in the Toolbox, that could progress to failure of the dam, required assessments of the erodibility of peat, which was shown to be present either in the embankment fill material or the dam foundations. This paper reviews the available data on the properties of peat, in respect to internal erosion. It describes the method used to assess the properties of peat to undertake reasonable risk assessments of a variety of potential failure modes.

Risk of erosion in peat soils – an investigation using Bayesian belief networks

AbstractPeat is an important carbon sink in the context of climate change. However, well‐documented examples suggest that risk of peat erosion is widespread and significant. Our understanding of peat vulnerability to erosion is commonly constrained by the complexity of drivers, and their interactions, in this process. However, the key constraints are: limited, consistent and comprehensive quantitative data relating to this process and, more significantly, the explicit relationships between the occurrence of peat erosion and its causes and drivers. Bayesian belief networks (BBNs) provide a methodology for integrating qualitative and quantitative knowledge. BBNs can capture and structure available knowledge and rationalize complex interactions, where empirical data are limited or poorly compatible and processes are complex or uncertain. In this article we explore the BBN potential to advance our understanding and to identify gaps in current knowledge. BBN has been demonstrated to be a useful tool in structuring and utilizing currently available knowledge, often with limited evidence, of peat’s actual exposure to erosive forces. Despite considerable research into peat erosion processes and understanding the inherent vulnerability of peat, results presented indicate clear gaps in knowledge regarding the role of land management, spatially explicit data related to land management as well as limited evidence of the relevant relationships between many of the variables. The attention of further research will focus on these gaps. The BBN approach provides a framework in which different scenarios of biophysical, climatic and land management (social and economic) conditions can examine and assess the probability of erosion.

Ditch blocking, water chemistry and organic carbon flux: Evidence that blanket bog restoration reduces erosion and fluvial carbon loss

The potential for restoration of peatlands to deliver benefits beyond habitat restoration is poorly understood. There may be impacts on discharge water quality, peat erosion, flow rates and flood risk, and nutrient fluxes. This study aimed to assess the impact of drain blocking, as a form of peatland restoration, on an upland blanket bog, by measuring water chemistry and colour, and loss of both dissolved (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC). The restoration work was designed to permit the collection of a robust experimental dataset over a landscape scale, with data covering up to 3 years pre-restoration and up to 3 years post-restoration. An information theoretic approach to data analyses provided evidence of a recovery of water chemistry towards more ‘natural’ conditions, and showed strong declines in the production of water colour. Drain blocking led to increases in the E4:E6 ratio, and declines in specific absorbance, suggesting that DOC released from blocked drains consisted of lighter, less humic and less decomposed carbon. Whilst concentrations of DOC showed slight increases in drains and streams after blocking, instantaneous yields of both DOC and POC declined markedly in streams over the first year post-restoration. Attempts were made to estimate total annual fluvial organic carbon fluxes for the study site, and although errors around these estimates remain considerable, there is strong evidence of a large reduction in aquatic organic carbon flux from the peatland following drain-blocking. Potential mechanisms for the observed changes in water chemistry and organic carbon release are discussed, and we highlight the need for more detailed information, from more sites, to better understand the full impacts of peatland restoration on carbon storage and release.

The Risk of Peat Erosion from Climate Change: Land Management Combinations—An Assessment with Bayesian Belief Networks

ABSTRACT Modeling risk factors to soils is constrained by the lack of key data and understanding that explicitly and quantitatively link specific threats to risk. Peat erosion results from the complex interaction of climatic, topographic, and anthropogenic influences acting over a long period of time. With numerous contemporary factors operating to perpetuate the erosion processes, it is often difficult to identify with certainty what actually are the initial and subsequent drivers of erosion. In this situation, expert opinion forms a vital source of information. Here we demonstrate how Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN) can be used to combine quantitative data from the National Soils Inventory of Scotland (NSIS) with qualitative expert knowledge to estimate risk of peat erosion in Scotland. This model was used to identify the main factors associated with peat erosion. It was shown that climatic variables (increased temperature, decreased precipitation) are the most important risk factors for perpetuating peatland erosion. However, the BBN approach also indicated that maintaining good vegetation cover is a significant mitigating factor. It would follow that land management practices that impact negatively on vegetation cover would also exacerbate peatland erosion given a hot dry climate.

Secondary succession in a Swiss mire after a bog burst

Severe natural disturbances can lead to the recovery of the original vegetation or the shift to new vegetation types. While post-disturbance succession is well documented for regularly disturbed ecosystems, little is known about the pathways and rapidity of vegetation dynamics after rare events such as peat mass movements in bogs. We monitored the floristic changes in a mire subject to a bog burst in 1987 for two decades through the repeated sampling of permanent plots. The mean species number per plot increased continuously, while the evenness increased only in the first decade and then slightly decreased. Declining species were mostly mire species, while colonist species were mostly wet meadow species. Species turnover was higher in the first decade after the disturbance, and was also higher in the area of peat erosion than in the area of peat accumulation. Changes in plant species composition indicate a succession towards tall-forb vegetation (Filipendulion), acidic fen vegetation (Caricion fuscae) and swamp willow forest (Salicion). We conclude that the effects of the disturbance are still ongoing, and that the mire’s potential for recovery is therefore difficult to predict.

The relationship of bryophyte regeneration to heather canopy height following moorland burning on the North York Moors

When managing heather (Calluna vulgaris) moorland by burning, the interval between burning must be long enough for successful bryophyte development, but not so long that excessive dry plant matter accumulates, as this can result in hot burns that damage the peat surface and cause peat erosion. Age and stage of heather development may not be the most informative and consistent indicators of recovery, as they vary considerably with different environmental conditions. A simple and reliable indicator as to when burning should occur was sought by measuring the abundance of bryophyte species on moorland plots with different phases of heather redevelopment after burning. Four dry heath (NVC community H12a) and three wet heath (NVC community M16d) sites with varying ages of heather between 1 and >25 years were selected on Spaunton Moor, North Yorkshire, UK. Overall vegetation height and the number of bryophyte growing tips were recorded. Thirty-nine bryophyte species were recorded; 23 in dry heath and 30 in wet heath. Vascular plant canopy height was negatively correlated with the number of stems of Campylopus introflexus and Sphagnum species, and positively correlated with Hypnum jutlandicum. On dry heath, the abundance of Campylopus introflexus was greatest at a canopy height under 30 cm; Hypnum jutlandicum increased in abundance at this canopy height, and declined when the canopy reached approximately 55 cm. On wet heath, the abundance of Sphagnum species and Campylopus introflexus was greatest at a canopy height under 30 cm; Hypnum jutlandicum increased in abundance at a canopy height of 20 cm, with maximum abundance at a canopy height of 50 cm. Based on the recovery of the bryophyte species, burning is indicated when the canopy height reaches approximately 41 to 54 cm on dry heath, and 25 to 30 cm on wet heath. These canopy heights span a range of ages and stages of heather development making it difficult to translate these into a burning rotation based on these variables. As a result, canopy height was a more reliable indicator of bryophyte recovery than the age or stage of development of heather on Spaunton Moor. Further research is required to investigate the consistency of height as an indicator for burning on moorlands with different environmental conditions.