Carbon Lock Up

 

 

With the threat of climate change, there is increasing focus on the ability of peat soils to lock up carbon. The UK uplands as a whole, store some 5 billion tonnes of carbon – more than all the forests of Britain and France combined, and Scotland’s moorlands are the most important part of the equation. Scotland alone holds 2.7 billion tonnes in peat and other soils, with 1 billion tonnes stored in blanket bog.

 

The vast majority of Scotlands moorland area is continuing to lock up carbon very effectively, a carbon “sink”, as it always has done, although areas of moorland in places like the Peak District in England have some damaged peat soils which are a net carbon “source”.  Those soils have been damaged by wildfires which have burnt off all the vegetation and exposed the peat to drying out, or by past industrial pollution. Scotland is largely free of these problems, but moorland managers have to be fully aware of the potential dangers, especially if climate change becomes a serious issue. Warmer temperatures will lead to the peat drying out. 

 

Rotational heather burning is an important tool, but must be correctly done to avoid “hot” fires.  There is no scientific evidence for the assumption sometimes made that heather burning causes the peat to dry out or to release dissolved organic carbon, provided that a “cool” burn is used to remove the top layer of vegetation.  The process of heather burning itself  is carbon neutral, because the new growth which  regenerates after the fire absorbs CO2 as it grows, and a healthy layer of vegetation acts as a blanket to keep the moisture in the soil.

 

The science of carbon sequestration from moorlands is still in its infancy, but an overview from the Peak District perspective can be found on the Moors for the Future website.   The map on this Research note demonstrates clearly how important Scottish moors are for UK carbon sequestration, and how they are providing a vital public service.

 

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