Dear <<First Name>>, with autumn well and truly underway it is a good time to look back at events which took place this summer on one of our environmental monitoring sites in the South West Peak District.

Fire at The Roaches

2018's most dramatic moment for the project came when a wildfire swept through our Community Science monitoring site at The Roaches in early August. The fire, started by a campfire in nearby woodland, burned for days - with the smell of smoke being detected from as far away as Sheffield.

Monitoring the site

The site has been regularly visited by Community Science volunteers over the last two years, who have collected environmental data. In fact, volunteers Rob, Jill, Helen, Martin and Rosemary completed an annual vegetation survey just two days before the fire started.

The aftermath

Around 70 hectares of moorland was burned in the fire, stripping most of the vegetation away and exposing the peat beneath to the elements. This image was taken just over two weeks after the fire was fully out.

Monitoring island

Amazingly our core monitoring equipment (including the camera which took the picture of the fire above) survived - despite being only feet away from the flames. This small 'island' of cottongrass and Sphagnum moss remained.

Replacing equipment

Any damaged ground markers and dipwells across the rest of the site were quickly replaced, so that monitoring can continue uninterrupted into the future. The data collected from this site is now more valuable than ever.

Sphagnum survivors

Interestingly the most intact areas post-fire appear to be those dominated by Sphagnum mosses, which look to be recovering already. The information collected by Community Science volunteers will help inform future management and restoration of the site.

To find out more about Community Science monitoring please visit our website:

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Moors for the Future Partnership · The Moorland Centre · Fieldhead · Edale, Derbyshire S33 7ZA · United Kingdom