The Goyt Valley, 4 km west of Buxton, in the South West Peak District National Park, is where the headwaters of the river Goyt are sourced, flowing north through steep cloughs where the waters are dammed into the Erwood and Fernilee Reservoirs, after which the waters continue north into the River Goyt and then meander North West to later join the River Etherow. The syncline Goyt valley geology is composed of alternating shale-gritstone layers with bedded coal measures. Successive ice ages shaped and exposed the shales and gritstone. The valley was later carved by the Goyt River (Rice 1957).
At present day, part of the upper Goyt catchment is covered by blanket bog, specifically on the eastern flank of the north-south trending valley; including a summit at ~500 m asl to ~350 m asl (Barnatt and Smith 2004). United Utilities (UU) own and manage the dry areas of Big Moor (referred to as Big Moss in this thesis) and the wet locality (Ravenslow) through an onsite game keeper (Figure 2.3). The Goyt valley received a mean 1026 mm of annual rainfall during the study period, based on data from the Sustainable Catchment Monitoring Program (SCaMP) (2008-2012) collected within the Goyt Valley at locations adjacent to those used in this study (Anderson 2010). Measurements at Big Moss and Ravenslow give a mean annual rainfall of 1042.22mm (measured 2012-2011).
48 Figure 2.3: Location of study sites on the Goyt Valley. Ravenslow (in purple) is the wet site; Big Moss (in red) is the dry site. The site names were abbreviated: C. vulgaris controls (Kra and Pat) old burn (Nep, BS and BN), new burns (Pos and OB), cut and leave old (GS1), cut and scatter new (GS3 and Ben). Four rainfall gauges were installed and monitored between April 2012 and June 2013 (present at: Kra, Nep, OB and Ben (For explanation of site codes see (Table 2.2)).
49 Rotational controlled burning of C. Vulgaris was used to create a mosaic of multi aged C. vulgaris stands suitable for red grouse habitat (Figure 2.4). Cutting and flailing is however becoming the more common practice; as the site is designated a Site of Special Scientific interest (SSSI) onsite burns are done with the approval of Natural England (Barnatt and Leach 1997).
Figure 2.4: Mosaic of managed heather - Goyt Valley 2013.
The sites were chosen for their particular management; each treatment site had duplicate sets of triplicate plots. Within in each plot there was equipment to sample soil pore water and surface runoff water. The treatments were at the least duplicated between the two localities (Dry locality: 2 cuts, 2 burns, 1 control; Wet locality: 2 burns, 1 control) within the Goyt Valley (Table 2.2). The first locality was on Big Moss, relatively dry heath. The sites were selected on a broad fat interfluve as a priority. The second locality was chosen on relatively wet heath, in a topographic depression which could even be considered a blanket mire, due to the presence of Sphagnum spp. (Clymo 1987). The inclusion of wet and dry heath localities allowed the study to not only replicate treatments, but also consider the effect of a greater
50 range of water table depths on water quality. Both sites and the treatment plots were selected on areas of deep peat, i.e. peat of greater than 500 mm deep according to Avery (1980).
The sites burnt at the outset of the experiment were burnt in April 2008, although this was after the season permitted in the DEFRA Burning Code (2007). The burns were permitted by license of Natural England for our research. Two fresh or new burns were conducted upon the study site. The burning was conducted by local estate staff trained and experienced in conducting managed burns of C. vulgaris. The treatments were then instrumented immediately after the burns, and allowed to settle such that sampling could begin in the following month (May 2008). Subsequently sampling took place every month until June 2013. There had been no managed burning within the catchment for at least 5 years prior to the start of the study; although an accidental burn occurred in the valley in April 2007. The size of all sites, including those subjected to vegetation cutting but excluding those designated as controls, was consistent with the typical size of prescribed burn plots as set out within the Defra burning code (2007), i.e. the burn area could not be more than 150m long by 30m wide monitoring regime.
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Table 2.2: Goyt Valley locality site names, geographical location and time scale of monitoring and installation.
Locality Original site
names Treatment
Site
abbreviation Easting Northing
Time since treatment, prior installation 2008 May equipment installed A 2008 June equipment installed A 2012 April equipment installed B No. of 10DDs installed 2012 April equipment installed C 2012 May equipment installed C
Goodship 1 Cut & lift – New C.L-New 402140 373707 < 1 yr 4
Goodship 3 Cut & leave –
Old C.L-New 402052 373795 1 yr 2
Bendigo Cut & leave –
Old C.L-New 402013 374076 1 yr 4
1 Rain water sampler
Bottle North Burn – Old B-Old 402027 374012 1 yr 2
Bottle South Burn – Old B-Old 402088 373969 1 yr 2
Patang Heather
Control Cont 402052 373818 N/A 4
Otterbox Burn – New B-New 402164 372600 < 1 yr 4 1 Rain water
sampler
Poseiden New burn B-New 402075 371985 1 month 2
Poseiden New burn B-New 402165 372155 1 month 2
Neptune Old burn B-Old 402125 371850 1 < age < 5
yrs 4
Kraken Heather
Control Cont 402020 372170 N/A 4
Goy t va lle y - B ig M os s (dr y) Goy t va lle y R av ens low ( w et )
6 Gas collars, open dip wells and
runoff traps
6 Gas collars, open dip wells
and runoff traps
6 Gas collars, open dip wells and
runoff traps
1 Rain water sampler 10DDs
6 Gas collars, open dip wells and
runoff traps 3 Gas collars, open
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