Series of 10s Moor Walk #8: Brilliant Blanket Bogs!
This is the 8th in a series of 9 caches (8 caches + a bonus final) along a 9km 'circular' walk which, allowing for caching operations - and taking in the awesome scenery, photos, bird-watching and refreshment stops - should take around 3-4 hours. For each cache simply note the number on the inside of the cache lid for use in calculating the final coordinates.
For background info on the series and parking waypoints, see GC2V7T8 Series of 10s Moor Walk #1: Intro & Start.
The cache, a screw-capped plastic cylinder, is hidden just off the trail, some 10m south of the angle in the boundary wall of the High Moor pine forest plantation and on the edge of Crawshaw Moss.
This is an extensive area of blanket bog adjoining the similar Heber Moss both located on the 3rd terrace of the moorside mainly between 335-365m which feeds Crawshaw Spring, the primary source of Black Beck which flows down Heber's Ghyll before joining the Wharfe @ N 53 55.881 W 1 50.970.
The moor provides vital Ecosystem Services - various functions individual landscapes or ecosystems provide for wider benefit to society as well as the species which thrive there.
For upland moorland like Ilkley Moor, these Services include: a) Nature conservation / biodiversity protection b) Carbon storage and sequestration c) Flood mitigation and water quality d) Recreational opportunity, tourism and cultural heritage e) Agriculture and food production f) Economic benefits and provision of jobs
Blanket Bog is vital for functions b) and c) above and one of the key components of moor management is to ensure the continuing health of these wetland areas.
Carbon Storage & Sequestration: active blanket bogs which form peat, act as a store for carbon, being made from dead and decaying organic matter. Where these are affected by erosion or other processes which dry and fragment the material (eg. wildfires), they release carbon into the atmosphere which contributes to greenhouse gases and ultimately climate change. Where blanket bogs are kept healthy and active, the cycle of storage and release can be geared more towards the former, aiming for no net loss of carbon or, preferably, a carbon-positive state.
Peat areas are the UK’s largest terrestrial carbon store covering around 10% of land area and storing ~3.2 billion tonnes of carbon – more than the UK’s woodlands.
Proper management of blanket bog/peat/heath areas and erosion control helps sustain the moor’s carbon storage capability and reduce leakage to the atmosphere.
Flood Mitigation and Water Quality: peat and blanket bog retain ground water and help slow down run-off. Periodic flooding in Airedale, Wharfedale and Calderdale Valley, suggests that the rate at which water flows from the moorland streams into main rivers can contribute to valley flooding. Well-maintained moorland bogs, drainage management and erosion control enhances the flood mitigation properties of Ilkley Moor.
Recent research suggests that surface roughness is a key factor in this and can be increased by encouraging species such as sphagnum mosses and cotton grass on blanket bog – which is being done on Ilkley Moor
Reducing suspended silt and peat in run-off from moorland by improving environmental condition also helps preserve water quality and meet requirements.
Ilkley Moor is no longer used for water catchment, so the direct effect on water entering supplies is limited. But run-off does eventually make its way into the River Wharfe where excessive sediment can affect river ecosystems and overall water quality.
This is exacerbated after moorland fires – particularly unmanaged wildfire or poorly managed rotational burning which can burn into peat and result in run-off introducing significant sediment (organic particles) and colour (dissolved organic material) into river systems.
Excessively eroded areas will also have the same contributory effect. Further research is underway into how re-vegetation and moorland restoration improves the downstream water quality.
See the Ilkley Moor Management Plan for comprehensive info on all aspects of the moor.