Monitoring

On-going monitoring of our peatlands is important and will help us to understand how these crucial habitats are changing.   

Vegetation surveys

The aim of grip-blocking restoration work is to slow the rapid flow of water along drain channels and prevent further erosion of the peat. A longer term aspiration is for the former drains to revegetate and return to active blanket bog. The first plants to colonise the newly created pools are cotton grasses and Sphagnum mosses. These species are important for restoring the ability of these areas to form peat and store more carbon.

Our vegetation monitoring is designed to help us understand more about the speed of recovery and the factors that help or hinder this progress. The first measurements of plant cover are being collected this summer and the same sites will be revisited to monitor the changes over the years to come.

Hydrological monitoring

To better understand the benefits of grip blocking on flood mitigation and carbon storage two sites have been chosen in the AONB where monitoring equipment has been installed and data is currently being collected. The team from Newcastle University have developed the experimental design used to gather evidence on the effects of grip blocking on water colour, groundwater levels, runoff flow, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and sediment load at Geltsdale and Priorsdale. Newcastle University have now completed the first phase of our monitoring work and the full report can be downloaded from the link below.