Classic joins Yorkshire Wildlife Trust for a Wild Work Day at Kingsdale Head

Kingsdale Head Farm is located on the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, close to Ingleborough, one of the famous Three Peaks.

Located up a long track from Ingleton, the Classic team met with The Yorkshire Peat Partnership and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust for an induction before setting off in rather blustery weather up into the peatland.

We had been warned beforehand to come prepared for changeable weather and that certainly proved to be the case!  Our task for the day was to assess the effectiveness of the current restoration work and monitor changes in the peatland water table. A healthy blanket bog maintains a water table of 0 – 10cm below the surface which is essential for peat formation and ecosystem function.  Areas are divided up into 10 plots, each with 15 dipwells alongside 3 transects which cross restored, blocked drainage channels (known as grips). Measurements were recorded on an iPad, and data is used to evaluate how restoration is improving the site’s hydrology over time.

Whilst the weather was rather mixed, and on one occasion biblical rain descended, our task was completed and we headed back down the valley to see the Sphagnum moss facility at the farm, where moss is cultivated indoors and transplanted on the moors at certain times of year. 

North Yorkshire is home to around 94,000 hectares of blanket bog (approximately 26% of England’s total), storing over 27 million tonnes of carbon. Healthy peatlands play a vital role in carbon storage, flood mitigation, water filtration and biodiversity. Limestone chippings are also used along with grips to provide man-made drainage.

Lead by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the Yorkshire Peat Partnership (YPP) was formed in 2009 to coordinate the restoration of degraded upland peatlands across the Yorkshire Dales National Park, North York Moors and Nidderdale National Landscape. Alongside landowners, farmers, gamekeepers and other partners, YPP is working to restore internationally important blanket bog habitats. 

Between the 1950’s and 1980’s because of government funded drainage schemes for agricultural improvement, around 80% of Yorkshire’s blanket bog was damaged. Since its formation, YPP has brought 42,800 hectares of blanket bog (45% of its operational area) into restoration management, working with partners to reverse the damage by restoring peatlands to healthy, functioning ecosystems that benefit both humans and wildlife. 

We were delighted to join the team at Kingsdale Farm, learn about the vital on-going works being carried out in Yorkshire and volunteering for the day. If you would like to find out more about supporting Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the valuable work they do to protect our natural heritage, take a look here.