Researchers at the University of York have completed 10 years of a 20-year study that compares the impacts of different management options on key aspects for mitigating climate change, increasing water storage and quality, as well as supporting biodiversity.

Reporting at the 10-year mark, they found that heather burning, mowing or leaving it unmanaged should all be available tools that upland land managers can use, with the method being determined by the condition of that particular piece of land and particular aspects – there was no ‘one size fits all’ approach.

Healthy peatland gathers and stores atmospheric carbon, as well as retains water, providing much of our drinking water and reducing the risks of flooding in certain areas, and provides a home for many different species, including birds, butterflies, and bees.

Heathers growing on peat soil can quickly become dominant and out-of-control if the vegetation is not managed, but methods of management have been an area of debate for many years – some land-owners preferring to use fire as a method to maintain healthy growth, others using mowing, and some prefer the land left unmanaged.

The study showed that the burning and mowing of small patches of heather supported increased vegetation diversity, with increased levels of sphagnum moss, which are especially supportive of peat formation, compared to uncut plots. The study also predicted a greater number of some ground-nesting birds on burnt and mown plots, as the taller, uncut, heathers limited appropriate nesting sites.

Burning, in particular, was good for nutrient content for grazing animals but also for carbon uptake, likely due to the fertilization that ash provides. Mowing, in particular, benefitted peat wetness to a small extent but the additional benefit only lasted a few years after mowing.

Associate Professor Andreas Heinemeyer, from SEI at the University of York, who led the work, said: “Peatland management is extremely complex and also highly emotive. Despite their importance, it was increasingly clear there was a major lack of knowledge over the long-term impact of heather-dominated peatland management in the UK uplands.”