It's hard to believe now, but it's more than a year since a big
swathe of Bleaklow in the Dark Peak was incinerated by moorland fires
after an extended spell of hot weather.
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Charred wooden posts on Bleaklow
are
a legacy of last year's fires
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The fires left areas of the fragile peat moorland denuded of
vegetation and vulnerable to erosion, which in turn reduces the speed
of natural regeneration leading to an ongoing problem. The good news
is that over six days during June, the ongoing Moors For The Future
operation used a Llama helicopter to re-seed a large area of the
damaged moorland in the area.
Some 19 tons of seed together with a colossal 250 tons of
fertiliser were spread over three square kilometers of moorland
including Bleaklow and Saddleworth with roads across Saddleworth Moor
being closed to prevent motorists from growing a attractive bed of
heather on the roofs of their cars.
The Peak Park Authority is asking walkers to take care when
walking on Bleaklow and dispose of cigarett butts properly. We'd
suggest that you also dispose of cigarette smokers in an appropriate
fashion, but to be honest, anyone who can light a ciggie in the
current wet conditions probably has superhuman powers and should be
approached with care.
