PEAT helicopters

Helicopters to aid polluted bogs

27 March 2005

Published by http://news.bbc.co.uk 


Helicopters are being used to re-seed large areas of the Peak District, damaged by both fire and pollution.

Much of the damage to the rare peat bogs of Kinder Scout was caused as long ago as 150 years.

Helicopters are being employed in an attempt to re-seed the heather as road vehicles are not able to access the terrain.

Chris Dean manages the Moors for the Future project and says part of the area has been re-seeded by hand.

“There’s grass growing now, even in places where it was completely black before. We’re beginning to turn things around.”

Peat bogs in the UK store more carbon than all the forests in the UK and France and so help reduce global warming.

But the peat is about 14 ft deep in places and once damaged it is unable to restore itself without help.

In the air, the helicopter carries a specially-designed spreader which drops heather brash onto the damaged areas. 


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