Home / Environment / Wool Logs: Farmers' Waste Becomes Peatland Hero
Wool Logs: Farmers' Waste Becomes Peatland Hero
15 May
Summary
- Local wool logs offer a sustainable alternative to imported coir.
- Peatlands are crucial for climate change mitigation when healthy.
- Restoration of degraded peatlands aims to store carbon effectively.
A pioneering pilot project in the Antrim hills is exploring the use of local sheep wool to restore Northern Ireland's vital peatlands. This initiative offers a potential new market for farmers facing low wool prices, turning a previously underutilized resource into a key component of environmental conservation.
Traditionally, peatland restoration in Northern Ireland has relied on imported coir logs. However, these materials have a substantial carbon footprint due to international shipping. The new wool logs, made from locally sourced fleece, represent a more sustainable and renewable alternative.
Northern Ireland's peatlands, covering 12% of the land, are internationally significant for carbon storage. However, 86% are degraded and emit carbon. This project, a collaboration between the Ulster Farmers' Union and Ulster Wildlife, aims to reverse this trend by effectively re-wetting and stabilizing these crucial ecosystems.
The wool logs are large, soft tubes weighing approximately 9-10 kg each, significantly lighter than the 45 kg coir logs they may replace. Nearly 60 logs were deployed on Slievenanee in the Antrim Hills, with local farmers assisting in their placement.
Monitoring is now underway to assess the wool logs' effectiveness in peatland restoration. The initiative aligns with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs' peatland strategy, which seeks to restore these ecosystems by 2040.
