Effects of 2018 wildfire on soil properties in a peatland within the Peak District National Park (central England)

Peatland soil is a valuable component of natural capital by constituting the largest terrestrial carbon sink (~30% of the global soil carbon) and an essential freshwater source. Despite covering only ~3% of the Earth’s surface, peatlands provide crucial ecosystem services i.e. water-quality improvement and climate regulation by storing carbon in peat. However, peat degradation due to anthropogenic activities (e.g. drainage) as well as global climate change exposes this ecosystem to fire risk.
This study assessed the medium-term (~5 years) impacts of the 10 August 2018 wildfire within The Roaches Nature Reserve. This area spans the southeastern sector of the Peak District National Park and Special Area of Conservation (SAC-UK0030280). According to the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (responsible authority for Reserve management), the human-caused fire broke out in a wooded area and aided by wind, spread to the peatland. Here, we integrated soil analyses and vegetation surveys of a burnt and unburnt area i) to assess possible correlations between soil biogeochemical properties and vegetation cover with ii) remote sensing to collect data on fire severity exploring temporal and spatial wildfire impacts.
Processing of satellite imagery highlighted a high-severity fire impact within the perimeter of the burned area, which predicts alteration of soil characteristics. Preliminary outcomes on the soil indicated deacidification and reduced water content in the burned peat remains 5 years post-fire.
Given that global peatland conservation is an important tool for addressing climate-change, this research appears necessary to develop effective management strategies, including rewetting of peatlands postfire.