Getting out to the bog in Shetland

February 4, 2021

 

By Sue White, Peatland Action Project Officer, Shetland Amenity Trust.

One of the biggest hurdles to implementing peatland restoration in Shetland has been getting out to the sites.  Occasionally there are “peat roads”, rough tracks traditionally used to bring peats home from the hill,  but generally the machines and fuel have to be taken some distance out across degraded blanket bog owned or managed by other crofters. And, as everyone familiar with peatlands will be aware, blanket bog quickly turns to a black peaty “mush” when repeatedly driven over, even when using tracked vehicles.

Faced with this issue for a Peatland Action funded peatland restoration project near Girlsta in the Shetland Central Mainland one local contractor, Shetland Peatland Restoration Services (SPRS), has come up with an innovative solution that makes use of recycled materials from the local aquaculture industry. Salmon farm cage frames are constructed from a huge amount of sturdy black plastic pipe of various diameters and thickness. At the end of the lifetime of a cage this material ends up at the dump. SPRS have been using the pipes to construct mats which when laid out across the bog effectively form a sturdy floating “road”. The mats are light enough to be transported using a tracked quad and can be manoeuvred into place manually.

We have been really pleased with how well a trial of the mats last winter on some sections of the access route has worked to protect the underlying vegetation. The route was used daily for 3 months to take out fuel to the 4 machines on site. When the mats were re-lifted the bog vegetation underneath was “rippled” but still intact whereas unprotected sections required extensive repair work to the damaged ground. The mats themselves sustained very little damage, were fit for re-use and could be rolled up for storage.

Further Peatland Action funding was awarded to complete work on the site this winter.  The Contractors spent several days laying the mats out over the entire route (about 800m) before any work started on site. Although this has made for a slow start to work on site we are confident that this effort will be more than made up for by the reduction in damage to the bog vegetation over the course of the project.

Shetland Peatland Restoration © Sue White: Peatland Action Project Officer, Shetland Amenity Trust.

 

Image: Shetland Peatland Restoration © Sue White, Peatland Action Project Officer, Shetland Amenity Trust

 

Image of machinery being used on a peatland to restore the habitat
Natural Resources Wales announces new funding for peatland restorationA new restoration fund, managed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), was launched this week in an…
The IUCN UK Peatland Programme team at the base of Kinder Scout
Reflecting on 2024: a busy year for peatlandsAs the year draws to a close, the IUCN UK Peatland Programme looks back on 2024.
Four people in outdoor clothing looking out across a peatland landscape. Image credit: Mark Reed
Help answer the question: Do investors undervalue the social impact of peatland projects in the UK when making investment decisions?Business professionals at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership are seeking…
Photograph of Cornwall Sustainability Awards on a table with a screen in the background
Big Win for Cornwall’s Peatlands at Local Sustainability AwardsThe South West Peatland Partnership (SWPP) has been recognised at the 2024 Cornwall Sustainability…
Aerial image of hagging on a damaged blanket bog landscape. Image credit: Mark Brown
Technical review of remote sensing for UK peatlandsThe IUCN UK Peatland Programme has commissioned a technical review of the potential and…
Salmon leaping out of the water. Image credit Stephen Barlow
New species showcase - Atlantic salmonThe latest in our series of species showcases celebrates the Atlantic salmon and the role that…
Exterior view of Virtual Peatland Pavilion showing four large domes in an urban landscape
New Virtual Peatland Pavilion launched for COP29To raise awareness of the global importance of peatlands during COP29, the latest pavilion has been…
Cover image for 'The most important plant in the world' showing the film's title in yellow text over a background of Sphagnum moss
Specially commissioned film celebrates 'The most important plant in the world'The IUCN UK Peatland Programme has commissioned the first in a series of short films, celebrating…
Cumbrian tarn - large body of water with emergent vegetation and hills in the distance. Image credit Steve Hewert.
Launch of the Peatland Code Version 2.1The IUCN UK Peatland Programme has launched a new update to the Peatland Code, which helps to boost…
Flat peatland landscape on fire with large plumes of smoke. Image credit Paul Turner
New brief highlights the importance of peatland rewetting for wildfire resilienceThe IUCN UK Peatland Programme's latest publication explores recent evidence from the UK and North…
Painting of a river in spate: Peter Graham 1866, 'A spate in the highlands'
Call for proposals for Water Research Seminar SeriesThe IUCN UK Peatland Programme and the Environment Agency are delighted to announce a series of…
'Work in progress' sign with a digger on it next to two photographs of children drawing on large sheets of paper
The Power of the Peat Bogs! How pupils turned their environmental education into a song Primary school pupils who have engaged with a project to restore ancient peatland and traditional…