Strath Caulaidh - Informed Ecological Decisions :: Case Study 2

Case Study 2 - Restoring blanket bog

THE CLIENT:

ScottishPower (SP) is a major developer and provider of renewable energy in the UK. SP is currently constructing a number of onshore wind farms across Scotland. Part of the process of obtaining planning permission involves mitigation against the adverse effects of the development.

In many cases, SP leases commercial forestry land on which to erect the turbines and often needs to fell the existing trees to do this. Planning permission often relies partly on ensuring that the area re-colonises successfully with plants to reduce the visual impact of the felled areas. Furthermore, SP must ensure that they enhance the conservation status of the felled land by re-instating the types of habitats and species present prior to the plantations being created. This includes the aims of re-instating Annex 1 blanket bog habitat (EU Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC).

THE CHALLENGE:

One such site on which this information was required was Black Law windfarm near Forth in Lanarkshire. On this site, SP were required to monitor compliance with planning conditions closely during the life of the wind farm.

They were also aware that they had the opportunity to fund additional research that could contribute to a better understanding of the factors that control plant re-colonisation and, in turn, bog restoration on this and other sites.
However, the requirement to design and undertake strategic research in tandem with compliance monitoring mean that SP had to consider carefully who to commission to undertake the work. SP believed that SCL could deliver a programme of research and monitoring that would meet their needs.

THE SOLUTION:

Strath Caulaidh developed the technical methods and experimental approach that would be needed to capture the information required. The approach involved assessing the cover of vegetation prior to felling on permanent plots which had a number of experimental manipulations then re-assessing them annually after felling to quantify the rate and types of colonisation that occurred in different types of felled area with different levels of brash cover.

THE FOLLOW-UP:
The methods developed specifically for Black Law have now been rolled out onto new development sites at Cruach Mhor in Argyll and Whitelee in Lanarkshire. They are also due to be rolled out onto Beinn an Tuirc in Argyll in summer 2008. Over the course of the next 3-5 years, the project data will be used to research the factors that govern re-colonisation processes so that future applications can benefit from an improved understanding of how the system reacts to such management.
Moreover, a large suite of complimentary monitoring has been, or will be, gathered at Black Law to improve our understanding of how these systems respond to disturbance. To date, the work has included peat depth modelling, drain network surveys and assessments of the pattern of tree regeneration. Planned future works include bog condition monitoring, monitoring of peat physical properties, hydrological monitoring and experimental drain damming.



	© Copyright Strath Caulaidh Ltd

	This site is powered by phpslash - Copyright © 1998 - and licensed under the GPL