Forestry Commission to restore the wetland in Delamere Forest

Feb 4 2010 by Naomi Dunning, Chester Chronicle

THE Forestry Commission will be making a big splash in Delamere as they uncover the lost wetlands which have been hidden for more than 80 years.

The government department has joined forces with Natural England and are spearheading plans for the re-wetting of Delamere Forest in a bid to conserve the rare natural landscape and benefit important wildlife and plant species in the region.

Made up of more than 100 peatland basins of different sizes, Delamere forms one of the key wetland sites in the UK and is internationally renowned for its unusual quaking bog sites, known as ‘schwingmoor’. But these watery havens have been hidden beneath soil and trees for decades. The work to re-wet them is all part of Natural England’s £4 million Wetland Vision which will fund almost 2,000 hectares of wetland recovery projects in the next two years.

Forestry Commission Wildlife Ranger at Delamere Forest, Oliver Thompson, said: “We’re enhancing the environment by returning the land to its natural former state. It used to be much wetter here and by restoring the meres and mosses, rare plants and other associated wildlife will be able to thrive once more.”

He added: “We want people to know it’s not just a boggy area – it’s an important conservation site that without this important work would be lost forever.”