Carbon-capturing moss to be planted on fire-hit moorland

Planting sphagnum moss could help repair the damage caused by moorland fires

Moss is being planted on moorland above West Yorkshire to try and repair damaged caused by recent fires.

The National Trust is planting 50,000 sphagnum moss plants on Marsden Moor, near Huddersfield.

In April a huge fire tore across 2 sq-mile (5 sq-km) of the moor, devastating hundreds of acres of precious habitat and causing £200,000 worth of damage.

The trust said the moss would also act like "a giant sponge" helping to prevent flooding nearby by trapping water and also helping to capture carbon.

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The fire destroyed more than 2 sq-miles (5 sq-km) of moorland

At its height more than 100 firefighters and a helicopter tackled the blaze in a 60-hour operations involving fire crews from West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

Countryside manager for the National Trust, Craig Best, said planting the moss will help trap and store carbon in the peatlands.

He said: “Sphagnum moss is an incredible plant. It’s like a giant sponge for the moors.

"It can hold ten times its own weight in water, meaning during periods of heavy rainfall, this water is released really slowly. This helps to slow the flow of water run-off, reducing flood risk. It re-wets the moorland, which reduces fire risk. It also traps carbon, and forms peat.”

The trust is running community moss planting events throughout September and October.