Ecology The first thing to say about the Portmoak Community Woodlands is they they are bonny wee places to go for a walk. But how did they get to be like they are? On the geological timescale, how was our landscape formed? Later on, how did the activities of people change things, and what are we doing today to try to restore our woodlands back to a more natural ecosystem? Here is some background reading:

 

Boginar 2012	Final report on the Boginar, 16 Nov 2012	1300 KB .pdf
Portmoak Moss: an historical perspective	A time-line of the evolution of Portmoak Moss	469 KB .pdf
Biodiversity action plans	Introduction and overview on biodiversity	73 KB   .pdf
Bog restoration: theory and practice	The development of peat bogs and restoration work at Portmoak Moss	30 KB    .pdf

 
Bog snorkeling data

We've been gathering data about the change in water levels since the moss was cleared and the drainage channels were dammed. This graph shows what's happened. It's pretty obvious that when it doesn't rain much, the water level goes down and when it does rain the water level goes up, so that's reassuring. The other thing that we can say is that overall the water level has risen by about 250 mm over 10 years and is currently only about 150mm below the surface. This is a pretty high water table, probably about as high as it will get without further major intervention (like many more dams). At this level we're optimistic that the regeneration into a raised peat bog will take place.