Natural England on Blanket Bog

Blanket Bog has been identified by NE as their habitat of the month.  See their website for details about this important habitat.

Recognition of the importance of this habitat as a store of carbon and for capturing carbon from the atmosphere is increasing.  We are involved in the discussions that are taking place about how this interest can be developed into a source of income to landowners & managers.

High ground, high potential : a future for England’s upland communities – Next Steps

Update from the Commission for Rural Communities (see the CRC August Newsletter):

"The aim of our Inquiry into the uplands was ‘to identify and evaluate the drivers of change in upland communities, and to develop policy recommendations to enable and equip them to move towards more secure, economically prosperous and sustainable futures’. The full report of this work can be found here, with a short summary here.

A number of our Commissioners are working with various partners to assess the Government’s response to our recommendations, and are maintaining regular dialogue with Defra’s Rural Communities Policy Unit to ensure our recommendations are progressed."


See the earlier Blog post (6 July 2010) that announced the launch of this important report.  It only covers England but I think there are many lessons for the other parts of the UK within it.

Scotland: Out of Season Muirburn

The licensing scheme for out of season muirburn was introduced by the Wildlife & Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011.  The details of how to apply and the application form are now available on the SNH website.

The purposes for which an application may be made are defined by the legislation:

1. conserving, restoring, enhancing or managing the natural environment;
2. research; or
3. public safety

This is a useful step forward.  Further guidance about the other muirburn provisions introduced by the Act will be produced by the Scottish Government, before the start of the muirburn season on 1 October - the Muirburn Group of Scotland's Moorland Forum will be advising on this. 

Phytophthora diseases

I continue to be concerned about the spread of Phytophthora - see the earlier Posts on this Blog.  It has been found in various parts of Scotland (e.g. Argyll), but at present it does seem to be confined to the wetter, western side of the country.

It has been shown to affect bilberry (win berry in Wales, blueberry in Scotland), and also heather, but not on a large scale.  However, this does not mean that this will not happen.

The Fera website is about the best source of information.  The website includes a link to some research about the susceptibility of heathland species.  Table 6 shows that of the three heathers, Ling Calluna vulgaris is the only one rated as slightly susceptible to phytophthora, but Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus is highly susceptible.

It is very much a case of watching and waiting and hoping that the phytophthoras do not get a hold of heather.

Heather & Grazing

Dealing with questions about the interaction between heather & grazing is an issue that keeps me busy.  So often the balance is all wrong, with the level of grazing not matched to the amount of dry matter available.  

Reliance on grazing in old heather is dangerous - the impact of grazing on an ageing heather resource is often too apparent.   The old heather has few stems / unit area and limited growth, and as a result, an increasing percentage of the annual increment is removed.  This causes the heather to die back and open space appears between the plants.  Young seedlings attempt to grow in the gaps but their high palatability is fatal.  The end result is that the heather becomes completely threadbare, and eventually dies out with or without a sniff of heather beetle, leaving the way open for different vegetation.  

The farmers will argue that the stocking rate is much less than it used to be so it is not their problem.  This is correct to an extent but it misses the point that carrying capacity is linked to food production and sick heather has little production potential.  

Burning properly, following best practice guidance, to introduce vigorous, high density areas of young heather is needed to reverse this trend.  This would produce more grazing dry matter, a greater species diversity to satisfy conservation interests, better sporting potential, and secure heather in the landscape.  It is difficult to see a downside but this approach is being resisted by the conservation agencies in many parts of the UK.

Am I missing something?

Heather on Langholm Moor, Dumfries-shire

I visit Langholm Moor in Dumfries-shire, last week.  This moor is part of the Buccleuch Estates and the focus for a 10 year, large-scale, demonstration project.  See the project’s website for more details.  However, the main reason for the visit was to inspect the plots that have been prepared as part of a heather restoration trial after an attack by heather beetle.  This work is separate from the demonstration project, it is being supervised by the Trust’s President , Prof Rob Marrs, and funded by Scottish Natural Heritage.

Since I was last a Langholm, some changes have taken place.  In the wake of two large-scale heather beetle attacks in consecutive years, the heather needed to be given a break from grazing.  Stock removal was agreed with the estate’s tenants, last year and this year, a long length of fence has been constructed to control the movement of stock and maintain the exclusion area.  Such fences are ugly, intrusive and expensive, but they are also very effective.

I was struck by the response of the heather.  It was growing strongly within the stock exclusion area and with the prospect of another winter without grazing, when the stock tend to remove all the growth achieved in the summer, I would expect the condition of the heather to improve markedly.  Heather was regenerating on the many areas after muirburn and the areas that had been cut were also showing heather.  On its own the improving condition of the heather may not answer the challenge faced by the estate and the project staff to restore grouse numbers, but a good stock of heather is an essential ingredient.

Asulam - a further update

The National Farmers Union have been taking a very welcome and positive stance over the threat to the future registration of Asulam.  For anyone wanting to know the ins and outs of the situation, I recommend the summary that NFU has produced that is available to download.  The future remains far from certain.

Back to the Future: State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets 2011

This report primarily relates to the US market but the UK should note the volume of the transactions traded in 2010 -  131 MtCO2e (or mega-tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent).  This is way ahead of anything happening elsewhere and is something we must take note of.  Links to the publications are available from the website


The report quotes that 'the future was in the forests' but this is to miss the point that in terms of carbon storage peatland is a much better, longer-lived store.  The public awareness of forestry as the answer to the carbon sequestration and storage problem is a credit to the forest industry, but I believe that the industry's pre-eminent position could look very shaky if the argument for peat is put properly.


The short Executive Summary of the main report comments on the emergence of registries as a way to provide credibility to voluntary agreements and also reports on an apparent shift away from the compliance market in favour of the voluntary market.  Is this a view of the future that we ought to be gearing up for in UK? 

Wildfire 2011 Conference, Buxton, 14-15 September 2011

Bookings are being taken for this event.  See the website.

After the busy 'wildfire season' this spring, we need to raise the profile of wildfire issues.  Attendance at this conference would give you an understanding of many technical issues and a knowledge of what is being done to promote the threat posed by wildfire.

Asulam - the latest

This is the update provided by the Chemicals Regulation Directorate, yesterday:


'Due to legal procedural technicalities, there will be a repeat of the vote on asulam at the Standing Committee’s meeting on 14-15 July. This is required because the earlier vote in May was taken under Council Directive 91/414/EEC and was not implemented before Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 came into force on 14 June. Therefore, the vote needs to be taken again under the new Regulation. This is just a technical matter and will not change the previous outcome. It does however, mean that the Appeal Committee will not convene until the autumn as the Commission more or less shuts down over the summer.'


In summary, a further stay of execution, but it serves to extend the period of uncertainty.  Defra believes that the best chance of getting any change of course is at the Appeals Committee, when political issues stand a better chance of success against the pure technical arguments.


By the way, I am first in the queue for a job with the EU, so that I can also 'more or less shutdown over the summer' - assuming we get one this year.  To quote Flanders & Swann,  'I missed it last year, I was in the bath'!

Scotland: Fighting the Silent Tide of Bracken on Mull

Picture: Scottish Farmer

See the article in The Scottish Farmer for a view of the threat that bracken poses on Mull.  This serves to emphasise the importance of keeping the ability to apply Asulam by helicopter, the most effective control method in remote areas. See the previous post on this subject.

Beltie Power?

Is substituting carbon footprints for carbon hoofprints the way forward, at the same time as making better use of our grazing livestock.  See The Scottish Farmer's Royal Highland Show edition for more.

National Ecosystems Assessment

While many people may see this as a 'big yawn' it should not be ignored.  To quote from the Foreword: 
"The UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UK NEA) provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the natural environment in the UK and a new way of estimating our national wealth. It shows how we have under-valued our natural resources. Valuing them properly will enable better decision making, more certain investment, new avenues to wealth creation and jobs, and greater human well-being in changing times ahead."


If you are looking for a gentle introduction to the findings of this work that has just been published I recommend Alan Spedding's Briefing that is part of his excellent RuSource series.  If this whets your appetite for more, the briefing contains a link to the Synthesis of Key Findings that has been published as part of the output from the assessment project.

Should conservation schemes pay for action or results?

See the article in Conservation Magazine that discusses a recent article published by a team from Bangor University and Imperial College London.  Is the balance between payments for action or payments for results all in the cost of monitoring?

In support of balanced upland management

See the article in yesterday's Darlington & Stockton Times quoting Ken Lumley, the north-east regional chairman of the Tenant Farmer's Association.

There is not much to disagree with here.  Balanced upland management is a key message for the Trust, or put another way, we like to be seen to be 'promoting integrated moorland management'.

Curbing black carbon would bring dramatic, quick benefits to all

Photograph: Sang Tan/AP

See the article from The Guardian explaining this.  This might offer a route to a quick win and reduce the amount of climate change emissions that are driving 'global warming'.

PDG Helicopters fighting moorland fires May 2011

Especially for addicts of 'Apocalypse Now', here is the PDG helicopters version.

It gives a good impression of the work rate of a helicopter when there is a source of open water nearby.

Scottish Land & Estates

Welcome to Scottish Land & Estates that has been spawned from the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association (SRPBA) and the Scottish Estates Business Group (SEBG).  For details of the new organisation see yesterday's press release.  There are two articles in the press today that give a view on the challenges facing the new organisation:

More than just a new name..., Andrew Arbuckle in The Scotsman

SRPBA: Landowners' 'new voice' has a lot of catching up to do,  Alan Cochrane in The Telegraph.

Looking to the Hills - JNCC Publication

The latest and last edition of this publication can be downloaded from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee's website.  There are a many good articles and reports but in particular I recommend:

• EU review of LFA (by HT Board member Ian Condliffe) (p3) which summarises the EU-speak that surrounds the move from Less Favoured Areas to Areas with natural Handicap.
• Crowberry dieback in Moorlands (p7) - can anyone help Penny Anderson with the search for more information.  If so, please contact Penny, but let me know as well.
• Culling of Mountain Hares to Control Ticks (p27).  Culling hares does not necessarily lead to greater production of red grouse.

Looking to the Hills has been produced by Des Thompson and Sally Johnson at SNH for JNCC, but the Welcome explains that this publication has been sacrificed at the altar of funding and will no longer be produced.

Wildfire on the BBC

See the Moorland Forum's Blog for details of the coverage 

planned by the BBC for tomorrow (Friday, 3 June 2011)