Understanding the impact of severe wildfires on moorland carbon dynamics

The spring of 2011 saw an unprecedented number of large wildfires break out across the length and breadth of the UK. These fires were associated with a prolonged period of unusually warm and dry weather that led to flammable vegetation, dry peat soils and the potential for severe ecological impacts. Wildfires can cause significant damage to ecosystem function, particularly in areas of high severity where ground-level layers of moss and peat deposits are extensively heated or ignited. Smouldering combustion in layers of peat releases significant amounts of fossil carbon and can have a profound effect on total UK emmissions. Smoulering and extensive soil heating also destroys belowground plant structures and soil seedbanks leading to fundamental changes in patterns of plant and wildlife biodiversity, the loss of moorland habitats and a potential imbalance between the carbon lost from burnt vegetation and that which can be sequesterd by regeneration. Severe fires are also associated with a range of other environmental impacts such as increased soil erosion. Despite the serious environmental consequences of such impacts, almost all of the scientific knowledge of the impacts of moorland wildfires comes from a single event some 35 years ago. There is increasing concern about potential feedbacks between climate, fire frequency, fire severity and carbon fluxes from peatlands. For this reason there is an urgent need to ensure we develop sustainable management practices with regards to moorland biodiversity and carbon stores. This research will play an important role in beginning to fill this fundamental knowledge gap on the impacts of wildfires on UK moorlands. We will visit and assess the immediate impact of recent severe wildfires across the UK, and collect data to allow an initial comparison to be made of the effects of varying burn severities on the above and below ground carbon balance and ecosystem functioning of moorlands. We will map the perimeter of recent wildfires and the distribution of broad classes of fire severity. In areas of differing severity we will make estimates of the total amount of carbon lost from the system due to combustion and assess differences in vegetation regeneration and carbon fluxes from peat in burnt and unburnt plots. By establishing a network of permanent plots, the project will also create a valuable scientific resource that will allow us to track ecosystem change over time and provide a focus for future research.

There is a broad consensus among fire scientists and land-managers that there is a research gap relating to fire, biodiversity and carbon cycling in moorlands on peat soils. This community engages both non-academic and academic stakeholders to address fire issues, and as such, is helping to drive science and address societal needs in tandem. Our pathways to impact will therefore address both non-academic and academic stakeholders simultaneously and aims to involve as many of these groups as possible.

The beneficiaries of the research include: members of the fire service, natural resource managers, statutory agencies, government policy makers, non-governmental organisations, the game industry and researchers of climate, biogeochemistry, and ecology. We are fortunate in having a well developed network of contacts in the fire science community (e.g. both PI and Co-I were involved in the 'FIRES' ESRC/NERC Transdisciplinary Research Seminars) and will seek to exploit these links.

Apart from the impacts to biodiversity and carbon cycling, there is also a financial cost associated with extinguishing wildfires, with productivity lost as a result of these burns and a cost associated with restoring burnt areas. This research will contribute to the understanding of the processes involved in wildfire events and has the potential to identify mitigating effects thus helping to reduce costs to fire services and land-managers. This research will provide societal benefits, contribute to the evidence base, and help in the formulation of policy and best practice by providing data on:
1. How fire management and wildfire influence the capacity for moorlands to sequester C and mitigate climate change.
2. Whether wildfire in moorlands decreases or increases biodiversity.
3. Whether managed fire can be used to mitigate increased severe wildfire risk due to climate change
4. The impacts of fire on moorland biodiversity and C cycling.
5. Fire regulating processes.
6. GHG fluxes in relation to fire.
The project will also provide a geo-referenced resource for scientists to quantify future vegetation succession and carbon cycling.

We will share and disseminate our findings through a range of mechanisms and activities, including:
1. Already established mechanisms e.g. Scottish and English Wildfire Forums, FireBeaters etc. that consists of key stakeholders (e.g. Fire service, land managers, SNH, NE, Forest Research, GCWT, DEFRA, SEPA and representatives of local community organisations).
2. Use established interactive websites e.g. FireBeaters; which can host data, a calendar of events, news highlights of key findings, and an interactive forum.
3. Wide circulation of research findings in the format of a summary for policymakers
4. Periodic review meetings; to facilitate on-going communication among end-users and investigators.
5. Presentation at national and international conferences and seminars to disseminate our findings to a broad, multidisciplinary group (non-academic and academic).