DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qjq2bvqt2
title: Data from: Hydrological and vegetation change during peatland restoration at ex-forested sites in a blanket bog ecosystem

description: There is a global shortage of long-term, controlled experiments assessing
 the effectiveness of land-use interventions, especially in peatland
 ecosystems. These habitats play a crucial role in biodiversity
 conservation and climate regulation, yet forest-to-bog restoration remains
 poorly understood and under-evaluated at scale. We aimed to test the
 effectiveness of different restoration techniques in converting non-native
 conifer plantations back to functioning bog ecosystems, using a rigorous,
 replicated, long-term experimental framework to generate robust evidence
 to support peatland conservation and climate policy. At a 21,500 ha nature
 reserve in the Flow Country UNESCO World Heritage Site (northern
 Scotland), we established two large-scale replicated experiments (2–8 ha
 blocks) using a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design. Treatments
 compared “standard” and “enhanced” approaches to hydrological restoration
 and tree removal, alongside intact bog and forestry controls. Hydrological
 and vegetation responses were monitored over a 6–7-year period following
 intervention. Enhanced restoration techniques led to more rapid recovery
 of bog-like conditions, including raised and stabilised water tables and
 the re-establishment of characteristic vegetation assemblages. These
 outperformed standard restoration methods and demonstrated significant
 ecological gains within a relatively short timeframe for forest-to-bog
 conversion. Despite the long timescales typically required for peatland
 restoration, our results show that enhanced methods can significantly
 accelerate early recovery. These findings demonstrate the importance of
 experimental rigour in restoration science and provide critical insights
 into effective peatland management.
description: # Data from:Hydrological and vegetation change during peatland restoration
 at ex-forested sites in a blanket bog ecosystem Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.qjq2bvqt2](10.5061/dryad.qjq2bvqt2) ## Description of the
 data and file structure Vegetation data collected as close to species
 level as possible, and its percentage total cover in each plot.  Hydrology
 data collected from dipwells in an experimental deign. ### Files and
 variables #### File: Hydrology\_data.csv **Description:** Dipwell data
 collected at vegetation sampling points. ##### Variables *
 DipwellFullRef: Code of the plot, starts with either DK (Dyke) or FN
 (Forsinain), followed by plot number and code. The final number is the
 collection point number (five per plot). * PlotFull: Code of the plot,
 starts with either DK (Dyke) or FN (Forsinain), followed by plot number
 and code. * Treatment_code: REE = Enhanced furrow-blocking and felling,
 RED = Enhanced furrow-blocking and standard felling, REF = Enhanced
 felling and standard furrow-blocking, and RSS = Standard furrow-blocking
 and standard felling. * Date: DD/MM/YYYY format of data collection date *
 DipwellDepthToSurface: Water depth (mm), from the water level to the top
 of the dipwell. #### File:
 Vegetation\_Furrow-blocking-only\_experiment.csv **Description:** Total
 vegetation cover for a furrow blocking experiment compared with a bog
 control plots.  ##### Variables * Plot: Plot: P1 is the project, followed
 by a four letter code representing the plot location. If multiple
 recording plots are at one location a number is added for each plot.  *
 Restoration : BOG = Bog control, FB = Furrows blocked, and UB = Furrows
 unblocked.  * Dipwell number: Dipwell recording point.  * Quadrat: OS =
 Original Surface, PT = Plow Throw, FB = Furrow bottom of the quadrat. *
 Date: DD/MM/YYYY format of data collection date. * Veg_Code: Shortened
 scientific name. E.g. SCAP is Sphagnum CAPillifolium.  * Top cover:
 Percentage of vegetation species cover at each survey point.  #### File:
 Vegetation\_dataset\_Felling\_and\_furrow-blocking\_experiment.csv
 **Description:** Vegetation data collected in the felling and furrow
 blocking experiment comparing standard and enhanced drain blocking with
 bog controls plots.  ##### Variables * Plot: Code of the plot, starts with
 either DK (Dyke) or FN (Forsinain), followed by plot number and code. The
 final number is the collection point number (five per plot). * Dipwell
 number: Dipwell recording point.  * Treatment_Code: REE = Enhanced
 furrow-blocking and felling, RED = Enhanced furrow-blocking and standard
 felling, REF = Enhanced felling and standard furrow-blocking, and RSS =
 Standard furrow-blocking and standard felling. Also for controls, BOG =
 Bog control and FOR = Forest controls. * Date: DD/MM/YYYY format of data
 collection date * Year: YYYY format * Quadrat: OS = Original Surface, PT =
 Plow Throw, FB = Furrow bottom of the quadrat. * Veg_Code: Shortened
 scientific name. E.g. SCAP is Sphagnum CAPillifolium (for full list see
 the table below) * ScientificName: Scientific name of the vegetation
 species code * GroupCode: Species split into family groups.  * % cover:
 Percentage of vegetation species cover at each survey point. + = present |
 **Vegetation Code** | **Common English Name** | **Species or Group** | |
 :------------------ | :-------------------------------- |
 :----------------------------------------------------------- | | DFLE |
 Wavy Hair-grass | *Deschampsia flexuosa* | | EANG | Common cottongrass |
 *Eriophorum angustifolium* | | EVAG | Hare's-tail (tussock)
 cottongrass | *Eriophorum vaginatum* | | JBUL | Bulbous rush | *Juncus
 bulbosus* | | JSQU | Heath rush | *Juncus squarrosus* | | MCAE | Purple
 moor grass | *Molinia caerulea* | | POAA | | *Poa*: all *Poa* spp. | |
 TCES | Deer grass | *Trichophorum cespitosum* (*Scirpus cespitosa*) | |
 AGRO | Bent grasses | *Agrostis*: all *Agrostis* spp. | | AUVA | Alpine
 bearberry | *Arctostaphylos uva-ursi* | | CVUL | Common heather / Ling |
 *Calluna vulgaris* | | CNIG | Common sedge | *Carex nigra* | | CPAN |
 Carnation grass | *Carex panicea* | | DRAI | Great/Oblong-leaved sundew |
 *Drosera anglica* / *intermedia* | | DROT | Common (Round-leaved) sundew |
 *Drosera rotundiflora* | | ENIG | Crowberry | *Empetrum nigrum* | | ECIN |
 Bell heather | *Erica cinerea* | | ETET | Cross-leaved heath | *Erica
 tetralix* | | MGAL | Bog myrtle | *Myrica gale* | | NOSS | Bog asphodel |
 *Narthecium ossifragum* | | PVUL | Common milkwort | *Polygala vulgaris* |
 | PERE | Tormentil | *Potentilla erecta* | | CPUR | Redshank | *Ceratodon
 purpureus* | | POLY | Haircaps | All *Polytrichum* spp. | | DICR |
 Fork-mosses & Swan-neck Mosses | *Dicranum* & *Campylopus* spp. |
 | HSEL | | *Huperzia selago* | | HSPL | Glittering wood-moss | *Hylocomium
 splendens* | | HYPN | Plait-mosses | *Hypnum* spp. | | KPRA | Common
 feather-moss | *Kindbergia praelonga* | | PUND | Waved Silk-moss |
 *Plagiothecium undulatum* | | PSCH | Red-stemmed Feather-moss |
 *Pleurozium schreberi* | | PPUR | Neat Feather-moss | *Pseudoscleropodium
 purum* | | RLAN | Woolly Fringe-moss | *Racomitrium lanuginosum* | | RLOR
 | Little Shaggy-moss | *Rhytidiadelphus loreus* | | RSQU | Springy
 Turf-moss | *Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus* | | RTRI | Big Shaggy-moss |
 *Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus* | | SCAP | Acute-leaved/Red Bog-moss |
 *Sphagnum capillifolium* | | SCUS | Feathery Bog-moss | *Sphagnum
 cuspidatum* | | SDEN | Cow-horn Bog-moss | *Sphagnum denticulatum* | |
 SFAL | Flat-topped Bog-moss | *Sphagnum fallax* | | SIMB | Austin's
 & Imbricate Bog-mosses | *Sphagnum imbricatum* | | SINU | Lesser
 Cow-horn Bog-moss | *Sphagnum inundatum* | | SPAL | Blunt-leaved Bog-moss
 | *Sphagnum palustre* | | SPAP | Papillose Bog-moss | *Sphagnum
 papillosum* | | SSQU | Spiky Bog-moss | *Sphagnum squarrosus* | | SSUB |
 Lustrous Bog-moss | *Sphagnum subnitens* | | STEN | Soft Bog-moss |
 *Sphagnum tenellum* | | APAL | Ribbed Bog Moss | *Aulacomnium palustre* |
 | BRUT | Rough-stalked feather-moss | *Brachythecium rutabulum* | | MHOR |
 Swan's-neck thyme-moss | *Mnium hornum* | | OHIA | Swartz's
 Feather-moss | *Oxyrrhynchium hians* | | TTAM | Common tamarisk-moss |
 *Thuidium tamariscinum* | | PEAT | | Bare peat | | ROCK | | Bare rock | |
 BRSH | | Brash woody material &gt;2cm diameter | | DEAD | | Dead
 vegetation (e.g. DEAD/CVUL for dead *Calluna vulgaris*) | | DUNG | | Deer
 dung / other dung | | NLTC | | Needles, twigs & cones | | FERN | |
 Ferns | | FNGI | | Fungi | | LICH | | Lichens | | LIVE | | Liverworts | |
 ALGA | | Slime/Algae | | EL | European larch | *Larix decidua* | | LP |
 Lodgepole pine | *Pinus contorta* | | LPSD | Lodgepole pine
 seedling/sapling | *Pinus contorta* | | LPTR | Lodgepole pine trunk |
 *Pinus contorta* | | SS | Sitka spruce | *Picea sitchensis* | | SSSD |
 Sitka spruce seedling/sapling | *Picea sitchensis* | | SSTR | Sitka spruce
 trunk | *Picea sitchensis* | | SP | Scots pine | *Pinus sylvestris* | ##
 Access information Other publicly accessible locations of the data: * NA
 Data was derived from the following sources: * Data collected in the field
 from Forsinard Flows RSPB reserve