This month I was kindly asked to contribute a short piece on a recent uplands excursion for the regular newsletter from Hen Harrier Day UK, managed by the charity Hen Harrier Action. Their aim is to help protect the birds and other animals of the uplands, and in particular - the hen harrier and other raptors.

A ranger team volunteer day to the North Pennines AONB was a real eye-opener for me this month, as I saw at first hand, the work of the peatland restoration project - Pennine PeatLIFE. For me, this was a hands on but more importantly, an educational visit as my regular day job resides in the lowlands of the North East. We were initially tasked with spreading pre-cut, sphagnum-rich heather brash with pitch forks, purposely to cover the black (bare) peat, so that it can act as a mulch to prevent both erosion and carbon emissions. Next, we looked on as a digger re-profiled the peat haggs to reduce the steep gradients - another well-used method here of slowing down peat erosion.

Peatlands are incredibly important wetland ecosystems. The low levels of oxygen in these water logged areas naturally slow the decomposition of vegetation, thus over time creating the unique organic material compression that is peat. Peatlands are a rare entity, covering only 3% of the planets land mass. However they store twice as much terrestrial carbon as all of the worlds forests combined - a staggering concept!

The importance of our brash spreading relied heavily upon the high levels of sphagnum moss within the mix. Ideally suited to waterlogged, acidic conditions, sphagnum can hold a huge amount of water, keeping the area moist but also allowing other plants such as heather to shoot. Sphagnum is an astute peat builder in itself, and by holding back so much water it creates these wonderful bogs. Eleven varieties of sphagnum are found in the North Pennines alone.

The afternoon was spent forming stone dams in bog gullies, following the recent helicopter drop. The dams slow water flow and trap sediment, ensuring the peatland remains wet. Just one hectare of black peat releases around 20 tons carbon per year, and this is exactly why it needs to be constantly restored. Work like this, not only mitigates climate change, but also minimises flood risk and produces biodiversity at unprecedented levels.

Raising awareness of the vital importance of peatland restoration is paramount to a better environmental future. Without doubt, I myself have a newfound appreciation for the unique world of blanket bogs, heathery haggs and mossy marshes.

If you are interested in reading the full newsletter from Hen Harrier Day UK or you would like to find out more about their incredible work in the fight against raptor persecution, please follow these links.