We Bet You Haven’t Thought About Drains on the Mosses

March 2, 2021

If you read about the Marches Mosses here on this website, or follow the Mosses on Twitter, you’ll  know that peat bogs are an important feature of the Earth’s environment. They store carbon, helping to fight the climate crisis; they are a valuable habitat for creatures and plants that make their homes on them. In fact, many bog plants and animals depend completely on the acidic nature of peatlands to thrive. Healthy peatbogs also store vast amounts of water which helps to slow the flow of water off the Mosses, helping to reduce flooding downstream.

The Mosses have been changed by human activities over the centuries. Peatcutting changed them dramatically, but huge swathes of bog were also drained to create new fertile land for farming. And drains have had a significant influence on the areas of moss that remain. Yep, we said drains.

Healthy peat depends on rainwater – and only rainfall and moisture in the air – to keep the peat wet and provide water and the low levels of nutrients that plants like Sphagnum mosses need to grow.

What healthy peat doesn’t need, or want, is the nutrient-rich water that drains off of mineral soil – the soil that forests, grasslands, farms and our back gardens depend on. That’s where the drains come in.

But first, a bit of history before we dive into the solutions.

The History

Damaged peat is very likely to be dried out. Peat dries out because it’s been drained, allowing the water to run off the bog. The the mosses that make up the Marches Mosses were drained for centuries, in order to dry out the peat so it could be cut for fuel and agricultural uses.

Drainage certainly goes back to the first Inclosures in the early 1700s. The Inclosure of 1823 defined five principal public drains to carry water off Whixall Moss. The drains were the responsibility of the Lord of the Manor and had names as uninteresting as Main Drain and as unusual as Chatty Bottoms.

The drainage led to the collapse of much of the raised dome of peat on the Marches Mosses. For instance, the northern dome of Wem Moss was damaged by the creation of the Border Drain; otherwise, the dome would have continued into Cadney Moss. The southern dome was damaged by drainage as well. Aerial images of the site show the extent of drains across Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses.

Adding to the woes, the drains allowed nutrient-rich water from the surrounding farms, houses and villages to drain onto the Moss. This led to the growth of invasive species – bracken, scrubby birch and purple moor grass among others – that draw water up from the bog, further drying the peat. Neighbouring Wem Moss, managed by Shropshire Wildlife Trust, was completely drained by the 1980s and the whole peat layer became hidden under a blanket of those dominant, invasive plant species. If left unmanaged, Wem Moss would no longer be a Moss at all – just a thick jungle of birch, surrounded by willow forests; both of which are unsuitable for bog specialist wildlife.

The Solution

The solution has been underway on the Mosses since the 1990s when they were protected as a National Nature Reserve. Work involves damming up the small drains to keep rainwater on the Mosses and installing bunding on parts of the bog to re-wet the peat and make it ideal for generating moss growth. Some of the larger drains have also been re-configured to prevent nutrient-rich water from entering the Mosses. This changes the ecosystem, making it ideal for the unwanted plants to start developing and dominating bog plants.

When you’re out walking on the Mosses, you might see work being done to reconfigure drains – there’s work going on now to re-direct the Bronington Manor drain that runs across the Mosses, around the northern area of the dismantled railway path.

The Benefits

One of the benefits of restoring the peat on the Mosses to health is cleaner water flowing into the rivers downstream. Water that does flow off the bog is rainwater that’s been slowly filtered through the peat, helping to keep the rivers that much cleaner, meaning less work is needed to provide fresh water to people in the area. In fact, there are two watersheds from the Mosses – one that flows north to join the River Dee as it flows toward Chester, and the other, south to the River Roden which eventually joins the River Severn.

In summary, drains are an important part of the life of a bog. They keep the “wrong” water off the Mosses and keep the “right” water on to keep the peat wet, allowing it to store more carbon, while slowing the flow of rainwater off the Mosses, helping to prevent flooding downstream while filtering the water that eventually joins the Dee and the Severn.

REMINDER – Wild LIVE Peatlands event this evening!

February 24, 2021

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Don’t forget to register for The Wildlife Trusts’ monthly online nature discussion this evening, Wednesday 24 February, which focuses on peatlands.

Peatlands have been getting a lot of coverage lately as it becomes increasingly evident that play a key role in storing carbon. The “Peatlands: our superhero habitat” event takes place on Wednesday 24th February from 19.00 to 20.30.

Click here to sign up for Wild LIVE

Wild LIVE gives you the opportunity to learn more about key topics in the world of environmental conservation.

The expert panel will be discussing what can be done to protect our peatlands, and why they’re essential in the fight against climate change. 

Panellists include: Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, and Craig Bennett, CEO of the Wildlife Trusts.

For more details and to book, visit the Wild LIVE webpage here.

Why We Need to Restore Precious Peatland Habitats

February 10, 2021

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The Wildlife Trusts, of which Shropshire Wildlife Trust is a member, issued a press release today about the need to protect and restore UK peatlands. You can read the press release here. Some interesting facts relating to this help to draw a clear picture of the need to restore precious peatlands habitat, as the BogLIFE project at the Marches Mosses in Wales and Shropshire is doing:

Peatlands cover as much of the UK as forests, but store three times as much carbon.

• Whilst peatlands may bring to mind the upland peat bogs of northern England, Scotland and Ireland, there are important peatlands across other parts of the country too, from Dartmoor in the west country, to the low-lying fens of Eastern England, to the lowland raised domes of the Marches Mosses.
• In fact, altogether, peat soils cover about a third of the UK, with deeper soils – peatlands like the Marches Mosses – covering about 12%. 

• When in their natural wet state, peatlands hold carbon in soils that have built up over thousands of years. When peatlands dry out, the carbon combines with oxygen to form CO2. Scientists have estimated that if all the carbon held in the world’s peat soils were released, it would raise CO2 levels by 75%, with catastrophic consequences for global climate. This emphasises the need to protect and restore the peatlands.

• The UK’s peatland soils store around 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon. Compare that to the roughly 1 billion tonnes of carbon that are locked up in UK woodlands, mostly in the soils; these cover 3.21 million hectares or about 13% of the UK. Thus, peatland stores three times the amount of carbon as forests in the UK.

Peatland provides natural flood protection

Peat soils and vegetation hold water well and provide natural flood protection by catching downpours. Nearly three quarters of the UK’s water supplies come from peatland catchments; when those catchments are well-managed, water companies spend less treating that water to make it drinkable. When peat bogs are cut, lots of humic acids – decayed leaf litter, basically – are released and the water leaving the Moss is dark brown, whereas water off restored peat areas is clearer.

Peatlands provide a respite for people and wildlife

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In addition to the contributions of peatland to the fight against climate change, they also provide benefits for people and wildlife. People can enjoy walks in the quite, open expanse of the peatland – a healthy change from busy, urban life. Creatures and plants, many of which can only thrive in the acidic nature of the peat, have made peatbogs their home.

There’s an archeological benefit, too: peatland provides an irreplaceable chronological history of the environment over the 10,000 years or more that they developed, with information captured in layer upon layer of peat.

Plans to restore additional peatland to store carbon

• The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) is an independent, statutory body established under the Climate Change Act 2008 to provide independent advice on setting and meeting carbon budgets and preparing for climate change. Their Sixth Carbon Budget, published in December 2020 and entitled “Agriculture and land use, land use change and forestry” describes the need to restore peatlands: 

• The roughly three million hectares of peat soil in the UK breaks down this way:
  • Around 25% is currently in natural condition (wet and well-managed bogs and fens);
  • 40% is degraded upland grassland;
  • 15% is lowland grassland or cropland;
  • 15% is under forestry;
  • 5% has been extracted. 

• To reach net zero carbon emissions, the CCC has recommended:
  • All upland peatland be restored by 2045 (1.2million ha).
  • Between 25% and 50% of lowland peatlands, which is equal to 100,000 -200,000ha, are restored by 2050.
  • The remainder needs to be brought into sustainable management. 

• The UK BEIS Emissions Inventory for Peatlands project suggest less than 110,000ha has so far been restored out of the more than 2million ha of peatland that is in a damaged state. (Table 3.4 in the BEIS document.) 
• The Government has committed £50m through the Nature for Climate Fund to restore 35,000 hectares of England’s peatland by 2025. 

Examples of other peatland restoration projects

 Examples of peatland restoration in the UK, in addition to the BogLIFE project on the Marches Mosses, include:

• The Great North Bog:  Peatland restoration programmes in the north of England have developed a vision that stretches across 7,000 square kilometres of upland peat in the Protected Landscapes of northern England, which currently store 400 million tonnes of carbon. Damaged peat in the Great North Bog releases 3.7 million tonnes of carbon annually. The programme aims to develop a working partnership to deliver a 20-year funding, restoration and conservation plan to make a significant contribution to the UK’s climate and carbon sequestration target. You can read more here. 

• Of Lincolnshire’s original 100,000 hectares of wild wet fenland, only 55 hectares now remain – a loss of over 99.99%. This loss is responsible for the decline and extinction of much of the flora and fauna that depend upon these diverse wetland habitats. The Bourne North Fen is Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s project to restore 50 ha of fenland.

• The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire is working with farmers in the Great Fen on field-scale trials of ‘wet farming. These test innovative new crops for food, healthcare and industry that may prove very profitable for farmers. This also keeps the peat soils wet, preventing their degradation, and scientists are monitoring the carbon benefits of the project. Plans are underway to grow 150,000 Sphagnum plants which can be harvested to make alternatives to peat compost, helping to bring an end to extraction from bogs for this use.

Marches Mosses Celebrate World Wetlands Day

February 2, 2021

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Today isn’t just Groundhog Day. More importantly, it is World Wetlands Day.

This year’s theme for World Wetlands Day is Wetlands and Water. The theme shines a spotlight on wetlands as a source of freshwater and encourages actions to restore them and stop their loss.

The Marches Mosses are the third-largest lowland raised bog in Britain, making it an important wetland and forming the headwaters of the River Dee and the River Severn. Bogs are ‘sponges’ in the headwaters as they hold rainwater on the peat, thus helping to slow the flow downstream.

Wetlands are vital to the health of planet Earth, as this Fact Sheet from the Convention on Wetlands explains:

Since 1991, the Mosses have been a National Nature Reserve, with English and Welsh national nature bodies working to restore the peat. The site is now a Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and a Ramsar site as a wetland of international importance.

The Mosses encompass Fenn’s, Whixall, Bettisfield, Wem and Cadney Mosses. At its peak, the Mosses covered a huge area some 2.5km wide and 8km long from Fenn’s Bank to Lyneal with large domes of peat rising to 8 metres above the surrounding landscape. Peat cutting and drainage over centuries led to the loss of over a third of this precious peatland, but it is now being restored by the BogLIFE project.

Here are two photographs of the Mosses, the first showing extensive peat cutting. The next is taken 50 years later in 2019 and shows the results of the restoration work that continues to help the Mosses. The cottongrass in this photo of Bettisfield Moss is a sure sign of a healthy, regenerating bog.

UK and Australian Wetlands Collaboration puts Arts Council England Funding to Work

February 2, 2021

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The changing environments of two of the world’s internationally recognised wetlands are under the microscope in an exciting collaboration between artists, land managers and environmental specialists in the UK and Australia.

The project, called Mosses and Marshes, has newly been awarded a grant from Arts Council England. It questions how we think about – and value – natural environments through works centred on the raised peat bogs of the Fenn’s Bettisfield and Whixall Mosses NNR on the border between England and Wales and the iconic Macquarie Marshes in New South Wales, Australia.

Combined with funding secured in Australia, the UK funding will allow the artists involved to create artworks and run events and exhibitions in their respective local communities, as well as nationally and internationally. The project will be launched via social media and project websites on World Wetlands Day, 2nd February 2021.

Andrew Howe (UK) and Kim V. Goldsmith (Australia) are co-leading the project exploring each unique site and environmental challenges we face on opposing sides of the planet.

Andrew Howe is partnering with Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Natural England as they carry out their peatbog conservation projects, including habitat restoration on the former scrapyard on the Mosses. Kim has been partnering with the Macquarie Wetlands Association, as well as tapping into the knowledge of various wetland and water management specialists to explore elements of the Macquarie Marshes.

Andrew says “We are delighted and hugely grateful to Arts Council England for this public funding from the National Lottery. This enables us to work with five other artists: Elizabeth Turner and Keith Ashford, Sue Challis, Kate Johnston and Lydia Halcrow, artist/curator Gudrun Filipska of Arts Territory Exchange, MediaActive Projects CIC and local partners Wem Youth Club and Shropshire Wildlife Trust.”

The two lead artists were introduced to each other through the international remote collaboration organisation, Arts Territory Exchange in 2018. They have used scientific research, site visits and field recordings to develop ideas, exploring some of the more hidden values of the wetlands – values not often considered in the fight to preserve them.

Kim says, “Andrew and I use similar processes to explore sites, really getting to know both human and ecological perspectives by spending time there – while my focus is the use of technology to dig deeper into the landscape, Andrew is a walking artist working in a range of media. We’ve both been very interested in weaving the stories behind the wetlands into the works, drawing out the commonalities that often have to do with shared hopes for the future of these environments.”

The artists hope this will develop into a longer-term project, establishing a platform for future artist residencies. The first phase includes new artworks for public exhibition, workshops, walks and talks, and a project publication due for release prior to the first exhibition at Qube Gallery, Oswestry, in October. Australian exhibitions will follow in 2022.

Robert Duff Presented at IUCN Peatland Conference 2020

January 19, 2021

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Robert Duff, Marches Mosses BogLIFE Project Manager, made a presentation at the IUCN Peatland Conference 2020, which was attended virtually by 560 peatland conservationists and ecologists from across the UK.

The IUCN – the International Union for the Conservation of Nature – is a global organisation. Within that, the UK branch established the IUCN UK Peatland Programme in 2009. Their objective is “to promote peatland restoration in the UK. The Programme advocates the multiple benefits of peatlands through partnerships, strong science, sound policy and effective practice.” 

The 2020 Peatland Conference focused on actions being taken to ensure their peatland strategy is acted upon, due to the growing urgency of the climate and biodiversity emergencies. The virtual event looked at the absolutely vital role that healthy peatlands play in society’s adaptability, resilience and recovery as we confront these existential emergencies.

Robert’s presentation focussed on the development of successive restoration projects around the Marches Mosses, culminating in the current BogLIFE regeneration programme. You can watch Robert’s presentation here:

The importance of healthy peatland cannot be overstated. When healthy, kept wet and clear of non-peat based plants that draw water out of the peat, it stores more carbon than the same area of forest. However, if peat is allowed to dry out, or turned over to forestry or agriculture, the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere as CO2, making the climate crisis even worse.

It is also a precious habitat, a place of huge biodiversity of plants and animals, some of which can only survive in the acidic environment of the peatland. And it has other benefits for people – with its wide-open skies and peacefulness, it’s a great place for a quiet walk to contemplate the magic and mystery of this wonderful land.

The Importance of Preserving Peatland Highlighted by Sheffield Hallam University Professor

January 12, 2021

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A recent article by Ian D. Rotherham, Professor of Environmental Geography at Sheffield Hallam University, highlights the importance of efforts to preserve and regenerate peatland in the fight against climate change. The article was recently published in The Conversation email newsletter. You can read the article on The Conversation.

The New Mosses Mammoth Tower Features in the Shropshire Star

January 6, 2021

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Shropshire Star reporter Sue Austin followed the walking route to the new Mammoth Tower on the edge of Whixall Moss and found the amazing view across the Mosses from the top of the tower.

The Shropshire Star article is here.

You can see the view from the tower for yourself on a walk on the Mosses, as part of your daily exercise during the current lockdown restrictions. Cross Morris’ Bridge over the Llangollen Canal onto the Mosses and turn left onto the canal towpath; follow the towpath to the turning for the Mammoth Tower.

Christmas Wreath Making on the Marches Mosses

December 23, 2020

You likely already have your Christmas wreath hanging on your door. If not, there’s still time to make your own and we’ll give you some ideas about how to do that. But we ask that you don’t use Sphagnum moss as the base for your wreath. The reasons why go back over a hundred years…

Shortly after World War One, wreath making began among the families of peat cutters on Whixall Moss after they noticed holly wreaths being used on war graves. They adapted this to making Christmas wreaths. This became a large business, with some families making up to four thousand Christmas wreaths each winter and selling them in markets in Manchester, Liverpool and Chester and even as far away as Harrod’s in London. Wreath making provided a much-needed source of income for the peat cutters’ families in the off-season.

How did Whixall become a centre for wreath making in the area?

Simply, it was due to the availability of bogmoss from the peatbog, which the makers used as the base for the holly wreaths.

At the beginning, the wreath base was bound straw shaped around a bucket, although this was later replaced by wire frames. The frames were bound with Sphagnum moss from the deep peat cuts in the moss and Top Moss that was collected from the tops of the peat mounds.

The wreath makers then added holly leaf “stabs” – variegated or plain – and real berries to the wreath. It was hard work, often resulting in sore, cut hands from the holly, and had to be done in a short time frame, to meet the demand of the Christmas markets and to avoid having the moss dry out.

By the time that English Nature, now Natural England, took over Fenn’s and Whixall Moss in 1991, creating the National Nature Reserve (NNR) there, only a few families were still making Christmas wreaths. Natural England began to buy out their bogmoss-collecting licenses to prevent the Mosses from being further damaged, and at the same time, to compensate the remaining wreath-making families for their loss of income. In 1971, the last few moss collectors were bought out by Natural England and moss collecting ended.

Why stop moss collecting at Fenn’s and Whixall?

Sphagnum moss is the key plant in new peat creation, but it works very slowly: new peat is created at only 1mm per year and cutting it for wreaths – or garden compost – actually reduces the existing peat faster than new is created. Healthy peatland is a huge weapon in the fight against the climate crisis, as it stores carbon. In fact, healthy peatland stores more carbon, acre for acre, than forests do.

What now for Christmas wreath making?

We’re planning to resume our popular wreath making events at the Marches Mosses in 2021 and we’ll look forward to you joining us then.

In the meantime, if you’re still thinking of making your own wreath this Christmas, there are lots of “recipes” for making your own using natural materials that don’t involve buying those bags of Sphagnum that some shops still sell. Here are some of them:

• You can use willow ‘whips’ to make the base of the wreath. Cut some thin willow branches that will form the base.
• Bend the willow into a circle to form the base. Intertwine the whips and tie them into a circle with garden wire or twine. The warmth of your hands will keep the willow soft while you work.
• Cover the base with moss from your lawn or garden (not Sphagnum from the Mosses) or flat conifer branches tied together with florists’ wire or twine.
• You can tuck in small ‘stabs’ of holly, pine cones, winter berries and ribbon – whatever you like.
• If you’re foraging for natural materials, please remember to get the landowner’s permission and make sure you leave some for wildlife.
• After the festive season, you can strip the materials from the willow rings and keep them in a cool place for next year.

Or you could just come out to the Mosses for a pre-Christmas walk!

The Mosses’ Mammoth Tower Opens

December 18, 2020

Above, panorama view of the Marches Mosses from the Mammoth Tower. Credit: Stephen Barlow

The new viewing tower at the edge of Whixall Moss officially opened on 18th December, just in time for your Christmas walk on the Mosses.

Standing five metres high, the tower provides a fantastic view of the expanse of Fenn’s and Whixall Mosses, part of the 2,500 acre Marches Mosses.

While the construction is complete, interpretation will be added between now and Summer 2021. This will help visitors to understand the creation, near-destruction and regeneration of the Mosses, as well as learn more about the immense value of the peat the tower stands on in the fight against the climate crisis.

Shropshire Wildlife Trust are leading the Mammoth Tower development as part of the overall BogLIFE project to regenerate the Mosses and provide more opportunities for visitors to share the mystery and the magic of the Mosses.

Helen Trotman of Shropshire Wildlife Trust comments: “We’re thrilled that the tower is complete and visitors can experience the view of the Mosses from the top of the tower. It truly gives people a bird’s eye view of the awesome expanse of the Mosses. The viewing platform is the first of a series of new installations that are aimed at improving the experience for visitors. We’re currently developing the interpretation that will support the platform and which will be in place by next summer.”

The viewing platform is located within the Fenn’s and Whixall National Nature Reserve (NNR), a short walk along the Llangollen Canal towpath from Morris’ Bridge car park. Fenn’s and Whixall NNR Senior Reserves Manager Pete Bowyer explains why the tower is an important feature within the Mosses NNR in this video:

The Marches Mosses are a great place for a walk and while you’re there, you can climb the viewing tower to see the amazing view for yourself and take in the magical sights and sounds of winter on the Mosses.