Carbon management
Description
This scenario explores the effects of prioritising
measures to reduce carbon emissions or increase
the role of the project area in absorbing and
storing carbon from the atmosphere. Reducing
carbon emissions would support national and
international objectives to slow the rate and
severity of climate change.
This scenario would include the following measures:
Management of peatlands and mosses: areas of upland peat and
surviving areas of lowland moss absorb carbon as they grow and act as
huge carbon stores. Maintaining them in good condition, and restoring
them where they have been damaged in the past, will help ensure that
these functions of absorbing and storing carbon are sustained into the
future. This means keeping the water table high around mosses and
reversing drainage measures where they have been implemented in the
past.
Woodland : trees and woodland absorb carbon from the atmosphere,
storing it until it is released again when the timber decays or is burned.
Positive management of existing broadleaf woodland can help increase
the amount of carbon that is absorbed from the atmosphere as well as
producing timber which is suitable for use as a low carbon energy source,
or as a material for construction or manufacturing (leading to longer term
carbon storage). New trees and woodland can also play a part, though it
is important to avoid soils where tree planting and growth would lead to
significant releases of carbon to the atmosphere. It is also important to
avoid productive farmland where losses would result in the need to
import and transport food. This means that new woodlands are likely to
be concentrated in less productive parts of the project area and
integrated with other land uses.
Energy efficiency: measures to increase energy efficiency across the
project area could include additional insulation of existing buildings and
new building technologies for future development, measures to support
active travel (e.g. cycle links between villages and Stirling) and improved
public transport.
Small scale renewables: This scenario would see a significant increase in
the take up of smaller scale renewable technologies. These could include
farm scale wind turbines, farm biogas plants based around anaerobic
digestion technology, solar arrays, woody biomass (logs, chips or pellets),
micro-hydro along burns and river tributaries and ground, air or water
source heat pumps. Most of this technology could be accommodated
with relatively little impact on the project area, though the wider take up
of solar arrays could affect the appearance of historic buildings and
conservation areas.
Large scale renewables: This could include additional or expanded wind
energy developments on higher ground within or close to the project
area. This kind of development results in landscape and visual effects on
surrounding areas.
Low carbon farming: Measures to support moves towards low carbon
farming could include:
• More use of farmyard manure and slurry to reduce purchased fertiliser
inputs.
• In cropland, soil carbon stocks can be increased by agronomic
practices to increase the return of plant biomass carbon to the soil,
including, improved crop varieties, extending crop rotations, inclusion
of perennial crops, tillage and residue management to increase soil
carbon retention and sequestration, water management to maintain
soil carbon stocks, the use of buffer strips and new hedges to absorb
and store carbon, and some changes in land use from arable to
grassland or forest to increase soil carbon sequestration.
• In grassland, soil carbon stocks can be increased by reduced grazing
intensity, increased grassland productivity, species management for
enhanced carbon storage, reduced lime and nitrogenous fertiliser
additions managed return of farm waste to the soil (i.e. farm slurries
and waste).
• Possible use of biochar to increase the amount of carbon stored in
soils.
Menteith Hills
Buchlyvie
Lake of
Menteith
Port of Menteith
Arnprior
Kippen
Gargunnock Hills
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Thornhill
Gargunnock
Doune
Touch Hills
Gillies Hill
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Cambusbarron
ith
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Stirling
Castle
Wallace
Monument
Dumyat Hill
NORTH
(c) Crown copyright and database rights 2012 Ordnance Survey 100017908
Management of
mosses to maintain
and enhance
carbon storage
Some woodland expansion
on higher ground and upper
parts of the catchment – but
avoiding high carbon soils
and more productive
farmland – to absorb and
store carbon
Management of peat
moorland to absorb
and store carbon
Domestic scale
renewables and
energy efficiency
measures
!
!
Farm scale renewables –
small turbines, anaerobic
digestion plants
Farming practices to
reduce energy use and
maintain or increase soil
carbon storage
Small scale hydro
schemes on suitable
watercourses
Wind farms on higher ground
(c) Crown copyright and database rights 2012 Ordnance Survey 100017908
Improved public
transport, cycling and
walking provision
NORTH