Thank you to the Nidderdale Moorland Group for sharing this short video and the accompanying words below. You can find their Facebook page here.
Originally posted on 10th February 2025
The weather last week allowed our moorland gamekeepers to conduct some vital, consented, cool burns on our moorlands here in Nidderdale.
Heather burning is a traditional management tool that has been used on our moorlands for thousands of years.
Using low intensity, cool quick fires to remove areas of old rank vegetation has many benefits for our moorland ecosystems without causing damage to the underlying seed layer, mosses or peat.
By burning during the coldest, dampest times of year, when the vegetation has also dried out allowing it to be removed quickly, we can ensure fire is used when conditions allow it to be easily controlled.
During a low intensity cool burn some carbon is lost to the atmosphere as smoke, something that happens with all fires, but what is rarely noted is the fact that we also produce ash, charcoal and partially charred sticks, as can be seen here in this video from last week.
Charcoal has been found to play an important role in locking in carbon in the long term in the ground as it is highly stable and resistant to decomposition.
Its presence in the peat seems to suppress decomposition around it and reduce Methane emissions in the area.
Locking in carbon and reducing wildfire risks are high on the agenda today and something we do here on our managed moorland areas as part of traditional moorland management.
Work that is paid for by our upland estates, not tax payer funded grants. Work that continues to protect and enhance our precious moorland landscapes and the flora and fauna they support.