Lake District peatland tree planting branded 'heartbreaking'

The land has been ploughed to allow the conifers to grow

The decision to plant trees on peatland in the Lake District has been described as "heartbreaking" by conservationists.

Dozens of conifers have been planted on 100 acres at Berrier, near Penrith.

However there is concern that ploughing and creating drainage ditches will cause the peat to dry out, releasing its stored carbon into the environment.

The Forestry Commission, which gave permission for the planting, said it had acted on the findings of a soil survey but "lessons had been learned".

Peat bogs are seen as vital in the fight against climate change because they store carbon.

Conservationist Stephen Trotter describes it as "counter to what we should be doing with the environment"

Stephen Trotter, from Cumbria Wildlife Trust said he was "astounded" the planting was given the go-ahead.

He said: ""By ploughing to plant trees we're allowing the water to drain out of it, and as soon as the water table lowers the bacteria and the fungus start to grow and we lose the carbon back into the atmosphere.

"It's heartbreaking really ... because it's so counter to everything we should be doing with the environment at the moment."

The Forestry Commission said in a statement that soil surveys had not indicated that it was peatland.

It said: "We took our decision on this site based on the evidence we had at the time we reviewed the proposal.

"In future we will work with more ecologists to assess woodland schemes."