A NEW technique, which is the first of its kind in the county, is aiding conservation work at a Tynedale nature reserve.

Northumberland National Park and Northumberland Wildlife Trust have joined forces to carry out peat reservation at Whitelee Moor, Redesdale.

Volunteers and staff from both organisations are using an innovative new technique using coir logs to help restore eroded peat gullies.

The team is confident that the new technique will make a real impact on the 1.5km of eroded gullies near Carter Fell on Whitelee Moor, one of Britain’s most important upland nature reserves.

The aim is to slow the flow of water to stop peat sediment from entering the River Rede. The Rede is known for its freshwater pearl mussels which need extremely clean water and gravel beds.

This technique is a first for the county; using coir logs for peat restoration has never before been carried out in Northumberland.

Coir is a pH neutral waste product that comes from coconuts. There are 146 coir logs at Whitelee which also have planting holes in them, allowing common and hare’s tails cotton grasses to be planted in them.

The national park’s Border uplands project co-ordinator, Abi Mansley, said: “It is great to bring volunteers from the national park and the wildlife trust together.

“We can’t work with machinery on the site because the habitat and peat are so sensitive, so it is only by hand we can do this sort of restoration work.”

Along with Northumberland Wildlife Trust estates officer Dan Chapman, Abi visited a site in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where coir logs had been installed two years ago.

The logs are about 30cm in diameter and have mostly been divided into halves and tied up with coir yarn. The logs are then dug into shallow, wide gullies.

Dan said: “Restoring the gullies at Whitelee Moor is a really important step in making sure the River Rede remains pristine.

“Many species, including the rare freshwater pearl mussel, rely on the Rede’s clean water.”

The conservation at Whitelee has been funded by Natural England, whose senior advisor Nick Brodin, said: “Whitelee is a site of international importance for its wildlife.

“It’s great that the wildlife trust and Northumberland national park are working together to look at new approaches to restoring and managing this fantastic upland landscape.”

It is hoped the coir logs will last for five to 10 years before they naturally break down, allowing time for the bare peat gully walls to become re-vegetated and slow the flow of water.

Several photo monitoring points have been set up in the area to evaluate the scheme’s success.

If the coir logs are successful, more may be installed on Whitelee and other peatland areas.

There is also more work to speed up re-vegetation on the gully banks.