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Action 2. Cutaway Bogs

Cutaway bog describes a site where peat has been removed systematically by industrial means. Any peat remaining can no longer be economically removed. Up to 85,000ha of bogland owned by Bord na Móna in the midlands and west of Ireland will eventually become cutaway bog. In addition a number of smaller companies extracting peat from individual sites will also create cutaway bogs over the next 20 to 30 years.

The first of the bogs to be exploited have become exhausted of peat and are being converted to alternative uses by Bord na Móna. Over the coming decades an estimated 1,500ha of cutaway bog per year will become available for re-development (Welsby 1991).

in 1987, the Minister for Energy of the Department of Public Enterprise set up an independent expert committee to produce a report on the future use of cutaway bogs (Anonymous 1991a).

Factors influencing the potential uses of the cutaway bogs are the type and depth of peat remaining, the type of soil beneath the bog and the method by which the peatland is drained, whether by gravity drainage or by pump drainage. Following years of research, three major successful economic uses of the industrial cutaway bogs have emerged: these are grassland and forestry on the well-drained cutaway bog areas, and wildlife wetland/amenity on the areas which have drainage difficulties.

As part of it's land use development policy, Bord na Móna have funded a research programme into the economic uses of the cutaways to assist in the planning and designation of the end use of the cutaways. In relation to the amenity/wetland use, research has concentrated on the Lough Boora Parklands in Co. Offaly and Oweninny in Co. Mayo.

In Lough Boora Parklands a combination of natural recolonisation and management work to create lakes has resulted in the development of wetland, natural grassland and woodland communities on the cutaway. A rich biodiversity of species of flora and fauna are associated with these habitats. They also provide important habitats for overwintering birds, particularly waders, ducks and swans. Bord na Móna have established several nature reserves in the parklands and these are making a significant contribution to the conservation of species in the area (Egan 1994, Heery 1999).

Research work in the Oweninny, Co. Mayo, a blanket bog area has provided management guidelines for re-instating Sphagnum moss and peat forming vegetation on the cutaways (Farrell & Doyle 1998).

The use of these wildlife and wetland areas on the cutaways for amenity purposes is advancing at Lough Boora Parklands.

Several projects are being piloted by Bord na Móna at Lough Boora Parklands and at other sites (see Table 3.2.4) including stocking of lakes with fish, the establishment of walking routes through the park, the erection of information signs, the construction of bird watching hides and so on. The socio-economic value of these projects has yet to be evaluated.

IPCC are concerned that the research findings are fully integrated into Bord na Móna's land use policy.

General Objective
The creation a minimum of 16,000ha of natural habitat on cutaway bogland and its management for wildlife conservation and species biodiversity.

In 1999 IPCC undertook a national survey of cutaway bog habitats occurring within industrial cutaway bogs (O'Connell & Foss 1999a). On the basis of this work we have campaigned Dúchas to undertake a national survey of abandoned cutaway for the purpose of designating NHAs. IPCC has made a number of recommendations on the management and restoration of cutaway bogs. We have liaised with researchers and land managers to produce an education pack (O'Connell 2000) and public awareness materials on this issue.

Actions
3.2.1 A Land Use Plan should be prepared outlining proposed developments for each area of cutaway owned by Bord na Móna in consultation with all interested groups. At least 20% of the cutaways should be re-developed into nature landscapes and wetlands where appropriate to include open water, fen and bog vegetation, grasslands and woodlands.

3.2.2 The Government should introduce a levy on the peat extracted by developers to help fund the cost of cutaway bog restoration projects.

3.2.3 To ensure harmonious development, land use plans for cutaway areas should encompass as wide an area as possible to include both Bord na Móna's property and land owned by other companies and private individuals in the vicinity.

3.2.4 Land managers of cutaway bogs should monitor and keep detailed records of the re-development projects undertaken, to assess the success and failure of different management techniques. This information should be made widely available.

3.2.5 In the re-development of cutaway bogs every effort should be made to create a natural landscape mosaic of inter-related habitats and land uses.

3.2.6 Afforestation of cutaways should be developed in an environmentally sensitive manner.

3.2.7 Areas of cutaway bog should be developed as nature landscapes through a process of planning rather than as the residual areas left over after cutaway has been assigned for other economic uses.

3.2.8 Wherever possible a section of "remnant" raised or blanket bog should be conserved within each cutaway bog complex as an historical reminder of what the pre-developed landscape looked like and as a source of bogland flora and fauna for natural colonisation.

3.2.9 In cutaway blanket bogs adjacent to SACs, provision should be made to regenerate fen and bog vegetation types, by applying the findings of research and management undertaken in the Oweninny, Co. Mayo.

3.2.10 A network of cutaway bog sites should be promoted for awareness and education.

3.2.11 Cutaway areas developed for amenity and regeneration should have a detailed vegetation survey undertaken to allow monitoring of site changes over time.

3.2.12 Dúchas should be encouraged to undertake the designation of cutaway bog complexes as NHAs.

3.2.13 The Government should make it a legal requirement of existing and new peatland developments to rehabilitate the cutaway bog sites after extraction of peat has been completed.

Table 1: Future Use Options for the Cutover and Cutaway Bogs

Future Use	Comments	Strengths and Weaknesses
Forestry	Initially very successful in areas of sod-peat cutaway. Now being researched in milled cutaway areas	In milled cutaway areas, frost, nutrition, pests, waterlogging and vegetation competition cause problems.
Grassland	Excellent use of land especially for local farmers adjacent to the bogs, who could add new land to their holdings	Peat subsidence, peat cracking, fossil timber emergence, nutritional problem with grazing livestock (especially copper). All problems, except nutritional, can be overcome by good initial site preparation.
Amenity/Wetland	Use of cutaway bogs for walking, wildlife, fishing, bird watching, education	Very attractive prospect, especially in areas that are currently pumped to enable peat extraction.
(Compiled by G. Boyle for IPCC)

Find out more about Cutaway & Cutover Bogs here: Cutover & Cutaway Bogs Explorer's Guide