SPECIAL sensors have been installed to help measure the water levels in an ancient North York Moors bog.
May Moss, in Langdale Forest, near Fylingdales, is thought to be nearly 9,000 years old.
A major project is under way to remove conifers planted in the 20th century which are sucking moisture from the ground and drying out the fragile wet habitat.
The Forestry Commission, working with Liverpool University, has installed ten new sensors buried deep in the peat to measure the depth of the water table and reveal how the bog copes with heavy rainfall.
Brian Walker, Forestry Commission wildlife officer, said: “Our key aim is for water to be retained for longer in the bog and encourage it to expand again with mire vegetation like sphagnum moss. “Felling conifers is just part of this project and we have also been blocking drainage channels.
The sensors are a few inches long and are linked to data logging units and will help tell us how well we are doing. They will provide a yardstick to measure progress in a unique venture on the North York Moors ”
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