Online seminar will aim to get people involved in peatland restoration
An online seminar next week will give advice on how to get involved in peatland restoration at a time when there is a "desperate shortage" of people able to carry out such work.
It is part of a series promoting nature-based skills and the opportunities that they open up. Aimed at people interested in getting into the sector or looking for a career change, the seminar will provide examples of vocational routes into peatland restoration.
Monday's event has been organised by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and NatureScot to help address the shortage of people with the necessary skills to help Scotland meet its peatland restoration target.
Poul Morten Korndal, a peatland work site supervisor with Forestry and Land Scotland, said: “Peatland restoration is acknowledged as being a key contributor to Scotland’s climate emergency response.
“These amazing habitats are the largest worldwide carbon store but, when damaged, they can emit up to 20 tonnes of CO2 per hectare each year. The restoration process reverses that and helps peatlands to once again start capturing carbon.
“There is a lot of work to do but there is a desperate shortage of people who are able to do it, so hopefully this seminar will encourage more people to get involved in acquiring the skills and helping with this vitally important work.”
Restoration involves returning peatlands to their normal hydrological condition by blocking drains. It also involves removing trees and "stump-flipping", a technique to flip and bury tree stumps and smooth out the ploughed ridges and furrows.
Anyone interested in taking part can register for the event online.
FLS has been engaged in this type of work for five years – from Caithness to Galloway and from Lochaber to Fife – and has restored around 4000 hectares of afforested peat bog.
