Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Heather burning boosts carbon-capturing mosses
Scientists have found that sphagnum cover in plots that were burned in the past 10 years was five times higher than in unburned areas
Burning heather helps to boost the growth of sphagnum moss, which locks up carbon in peat, according to the latest study of upland burning.
Sphagnum mosses rapidly extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and then lock it up in peat, making them one of the most effective ways of fighting climate change.
Globally, peatlands are the largest natural store of carbon. Peatlands across the world contain 550 gigatonnes of carbon, which is considerably more than
“Cool fires reduce heather cover without destroying the mosses”
the amount of carbon stored in all other vegetation types, including the world’s forests.
However, damaged peat emits both carbon dioxide and methane, both of which are potent greenhouse gases. In the UK, debate has raged over how to ensure that peatlands are healthy and are collecting, not releasing, carbon.
The role of burning heather has proved particularly controversial, with some scientists arguing that burning releases carbon dioxide and dries peat and should be avoided. Other scientists believe that by breaking up heather, cool burns allow peat-forming mosses to thrive and that by reducing the fuel available the risk of wildfires is reduced.
The latest study compared different plots on Langholm
Moor in south-west Scotland.
The scientists looked at plots that were burned within the past 10 years and plots that had never been burned. They found that “sphagnum cover in plots burnt eight to 10 years earlier averaged five times higher than that in the no-burn control plots and was positively correlated with peat depth”. This means that burned areas had more sphagnum moss and more peat than unburned areas.
Moorland managers have long used controlled burning to prevent heather shading out mosses, a process known as ‘breaking heather dominance’. The new study appears to endorse this practice, with the authors commenting that their data “suggests that low-intensity (‘cool’) fires can reduce heather cover without destroying the sphagnum layer”.
The GWCT’S Dr Sian Whitehead, author on the paper, told Shooting Times: “This study makes a further contribution to our collective understanding of the effects of managed burning on blanket peat habitats; current policies relating to management of those habitats should be kept under review, to ensure that they take account of all relevant research findings.”
The announcement by the National Game Dealers Association (NGDA) that it would only accept lead-free game and venison from July 2022 (News, 7 April) has been welcomed by shooting groups and the food industry.
Silver Sheldon, of Hadrian’s Game Larder, said: “We can only lead from the front. The future of shooting lies firmly in our hands. As a collective, across the four nations, there are game dealers doing awesome work. Let’s get on with it.”
A spokesman for BASC, the Countryside Alliance, the British Game Alliance and the Game Farmers’ Association added: “A strong game market will mean a strong future for shooting.
The continued use of lead shot has become a growing blocker for the game market. This was a key driver in the announcement of a five-year voluntary transition away from lead shot for live quarry.”
Reaction among individual shooters remains mixed, with some welcoming the move and others describing it as a ‘sell-out’.
The deadline on the petition started by Shooting Times contributor Ed Coles to increase the penalties for poaching and hare coursing is rapidly approaching. Sign it while you still have the chance at bit.ly/coursingpetition
With the season now here, it is time to hunt one of the UK’S smartest, most beautiful and tastiest quarry species — the roebuck. If you are not lucky enough to have your own ground, there is likely to be a commercial operator nearby who can offer dawn and dusk outings.