Course: Fen Restoration (Climate FORTH - Contractor Environmental Skills)

Join us for our fifth Climate FORTH Environmental Skills Session at Gartmorn Dam Country Park.

Climate FORTH - Contractor Environmental Skills – Gartmorn Dam Country Park

TCV in partnership with Climate FORTH are delivering a series of 8 on site environmental skills sessions to build skills, confidence and experience in habitat management techniques that deliver climate adaptation and mitigation.

This workshop series is aimed at contractors, land managers and people looking to move in to the environmental sector.

All events in this series are standalone events covering different topics/areas, you do not need to have attended previous events and you are welcome to attend multiple.

Our fifth session will be held at Gartmorn Dam Country Park, Alloa hosted by Clackmannanshire Council. Session will be led by Cat Wright - Countryside Ranger, Clackmannanshire Council.

What is Fen? Fen are Peatlands fed by both rainwater and groundwater, they:

1. absorb excess water during floods
2. store water even during drought
3. filter and improve water quality
4. store large amounts of carbon
5. support rare and diverse wildlife

Fen supports half of all dragonfly species and one third of native plants species in the UK.

The Fen at Gartmon needs rapid intervention!

In this session we will discuss the following:

• The challenges of undertaking tree work in wetlands
• The contribution of volunteers
• The challenges of SSSI consents and felling permissions, and considering the community when undertaking work.

Gartmourn Dam Country Park

Clackmannanshire has a rich mining history and many signs of this heritage are still visible. None are so impressive as Gartmorn Dam, lying at the heart of the local 370 acre Country Park and Nature Reserve.

The 170 acre reservoir was engineered by Sir John Erskine, the 6th Earl of Mar, to power the pumps which drained his Sauchie mines. The water power his project provided was the catalyst for Alloa's industrial development.

Gartmorn Dam is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for open water transition fen, which provides home for species like great egret, bittern, warblers, and hoverflies.

However, Fen at Gartmorn is at risk due to lower water levels after the drawdown, the closure of the lade, and drought due to the climate crisis.

The Danger Of Tree Encroachment

Trees are a fantastic resource for wildlife, and an important part of climate resilience. However Trees shade sensitive fen plants, dry out fen, disrupt peat formation, and deter wildfowl that prefer open areas to easily see approaching predators.

Without intervention fen and all it provides will be lost at Gartmorn.