The Use of the Bogs of Scotland
- The upland bogs in Scotland are blanket bogs that can be as deep as 40 feet. They are found in cool, humid areas that experience heavy rainfall. In fact, the moisture in blanket bogs comes exclusively from snow and rain.
The bogs are compiled of sphagnum moss, cotton-grass, heather and heath. They are the result of decaying vegetation, which has built up for thousands of years. Many of them have been drained and inappropriately managed, resulting in the loss of new peat formation.
There are about 1.5 million hectares, or 3.75 million acres, of blanket bogs in the United Kingdom, most of them in Scotland. - Upland bogs provide a habitat for many plants that are found only there, such as bog rosemary, sundew and bog asphodel. The upland bogs are also the home of many types of birds as well as red deer, wildcats and otters. Some rare insects make the bogs home as well, including the large heath butterfly and bog bush cricket.
- The upland bogs are utilized for sheep grazing. A great deal of bog area has been drained in efforts to improve it for grazing. The number of sheep grazing on the upland bogs has increased substantially in the past 50 years. The farmers are paid a subsidy per head to keep them. This combined with the economic need to reduce the number of shepherds has contributed to overgrazing of the bog lands.
- An increasing amount of bog land is being planted with trees. This afforestation has caused the loss of upland bog area. Better forestry policies and management of the afforestation is being implemented in an effort to achieve a more reasonable balance and preserve the upland habitat.
- The upland blanket bogs have been used for heating fuel for centuries. The peat has been mined extensively for fuel, horticulture purposes and underlying minerals, such as coal. Such commercial mining has caused irreparable damage to much of the bogs and wildlife habitat.
The bogs also are utilized by locals for their own personal heating needs. Domestic use of the blanket bogs could have a positive effect through carefully controlled cutting of the peat and maintenance of the continually growing vegetation. - Wind farms may be the fate of some of the upland bog area. Proposals to install wind farms on the bogs have sparked a great deal of controversy and been met with extreme opposition from environmentalists and conservationists. There is serious concern for the fate of the bogs and the wildlife that depends on the wilderness area for survival if wind farms are installed there.
