Long-Term Consequences of Grazing and Burning on Northern Peatland Carbon Dynamics

Summary

This long-term field experiment (50 years) examined how repeated burning and grazing alter carbon dynamics in northern peatlands. Both practices reduced aboveground carbon stocks and shifted vegetation towards graminoids at the expense of bryophytes and ericoid subshrubs. Burning produced the strongest effect, increasing gross CO₂ fluxes by over 40% on average, with effects most pronounced in summer, suggesting interactive effects between land management and seasonal climate variation on peatland carbon cycling.

Regional applicability

This study was conducted on UK peatlands and directly applies to United Kingdom upland management policy and practice. The findings are particularly relevant to moorland management regimes in Scotland, England, and Wales, where burning and grazing are conventional practices, and have clear implications for peatland carbon accounting and climate mitigation in the UK.

Key measures

Aboveground and soil carbon stocks; gross ecosystem CO₂ respiration and photosynthesis fluxes; CH₄ and DOC fluxes; vegetation community composition; soil microbial biomass C:N ratio

Outcomes reported

The study measured plant community composition, soil and vegetation carbon stocks, and carbon fluxes (CO₂, CH₄, DOC) over an 18-month period on a 50-year-old field experiment. Long-term burning and grazing reduced aboveground carbon stocks, altered vegetation structure, and increased gross ecosystem CO₂ fluxes by over 40% in burned treatments.

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