Restoring peat on Holcombe Moor and Stubbins Estate

Ongoing

Monitoring environmental changes

As part of Moors for the Future's Citizen Science program, in early 2018, an outdoor science lab was created on Holcombe Moor. Data loggers record hourly rainfall, air pressure and humidity, which the team are then able to download every month when they take groundwater readings. Annual vegetation surveys are carried out to understand how the moor is changing as well as bird surveys which allows us to analyse the ways in which our restoration work continues to benefit them.

Working closely with The University of Manchester the team will closely monitor environmental changes over the whole of the moor and assess the long-term impacts of the project, providing vital information to inform other similar projects across the British uplands.

March 2023

Laying the stone footpath

In March 2023 the Rangers and Volunteers assisted contractors in heli-lifting stone slabs onto the footpath west of Bull Hill. The flags were reclaimed from a nearby mill that was being demolished.

Putting flags along the path has created a better surface for footpath users, meaning they no longer have to trail through the mud. Already we can see the vegetation alongside the path is recovering, enhancing this important habitat for people and nature.

September 2020 - Ongoing

Creating stone and peat dams

During the late summer of 2020, helicopters airlifted approximately 500 tonnes of locally quarried stone and expertly positioned the drops to create permeable structures.

These dams help to slow water movement during high rainfall and keep water on the peatland for longer, therefore reducing the risk of flooding further downstream. So far 500 stone and peat dams have been created, with plans to build a further 60.  

November 2020 - Ongoing

Sphagnum planting

In November 2020 we received the first delivery of sphagnum moss plants. Planting sphagnum moss is a vital part of peatland restoration, providing a protective layer over exposed peat. It plays a huge role in helping to restore the peatland to a fully functioning bog, eventually creating a carbon sink.

Sphagnum moss can hold between ten and twenty times its own weight in water, creating an ideal habitat for threatened upland bird communities and preventing flooding and wildfires.

Work to plant another 500,000 sphagnum plants is currently underway, doubling the total number of planted sphagnum moss plugs to one million.

Ongoing

Re-profiling of weather edges and gully sides

From September 2020 to March 2021, the team reprofiled 17.5 km of eroding steep gully sides and peat hags that had been exposed to the worst of the prevailing winds and rain. Reducing the slope of these areas stabilises the soil and allows for a better re-establishment of upland grasses providing a protective layer for the future.

The current project aims to undertake a further 4km around the fringes of the deep peat plateau known as Black Moss.

November 2020 - February 2021

Creating peat bunds

During late 2020 and early 2021, the team were busy creating 3,500 peat bunds up on Holcombe Moor. These bunds allow water to pool behind them improving ground conditions for the establishment of sphagnum moss which in turn enables the moor to store more carbon and reduce flooding downstream.

During this time, Area Ranger Nik Taylor and now Estate Manager Maddi Naish spoke to Thomas Moore from SkyNews about the project.