A SERIES of community moss planting days are being held by the National Trust on Marsden Moor this autumn.
The volunteer events will help repair some of the damage caused by recent fires, as well as trapping carbon and soaking up heavy rainfall.
The community planting days will take place on Saturday, September 4, Sunday, September 5, Monday, September 6 and Saturday, September 11.
The National Trust rangers hope to organise more planting days for October.
The work will see thousands of sphagnum moss plugs planted between now and the spring. The moss, which is a peat forming plant, also helps re-wet the moorland, reducing flood risk and fire risk and increasing the moor’s resilience to climate change.
In April this year, a major fire destroyed two square miles of moorland. It took fire crews three days to extinguish the fire and the National Trust called in a specialist helicopter team to assist.
It is estimated that repairing the damage will cost around £200,000.
Members of the public, the local community and National Trust members donated thousands of pounds to the Marsden Moor Fire Appeal Fund, some of which will be used to pay for the moss plants.
Craig Best, Countryside Manager for the National Trust, said, “This is a really exciting opportunity for people from the local community to play a part in Marsden Moor’s recovery.
“We’ve got nearly 50,000 moss plugs to get in the ground this winter, so it’ll be great to have helping hands.
“Sphagnum moss is an incredible plant. It can hold ten times its own weight in water, meaning during periods of heavy rainfall, this water is released really slowly. This helps to slow the flow of water run-off, reducing flood risk. It also traps carbon, and forms peat.
“Every tiny bit of moss that volunteers put in the ground will be contributing to our fight against climate change and help us prevent future fires.”
To sign up for the volunteer events and to find out more details, e-mail marsdenmoor@nationaltrust.org.uk
For more details about the work, visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/marsden-moor-estate/
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