Wansbeck trees and shrubs to be sampled for CO2 storage
Trees, shrubs and soil will be sampled for carbon storage as part of a project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Wansbeck Restoration for Climate Change initiative is receiving 600,000 for the work, to assess how woodlands, grasslands and wetlands store carbon. It will focus on 144 hectares (355 acres) of farmland around the River Wansbeck catchment in Northumberland. The initiative is being managed by environment charity Groundwork North East & Cumbria. The area spanning the Wallington, Middleton North and Little Harle estates, which lie between Belsay and Otterburn, will see mixed habitats including grasslands, peaty pockets and woodlands restored, as well as the rewilding of the river. The aim is for managers, farmers and owners to work together with scientists from Natural England and Northumbria University in an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently almost all of the world's CO2 removal happens through natural processes, involving plants and trees taking in CO2 from the air and absorbing and storing it in the soil. As well as collecting soil to be analysed, carbon storage will also be measured in trees and shrubs. More than 10,000m (33,000ft) of fencing will be installed along the river to stop free grazing and allow the watercourse find its own meander. Peat will also be restored and hedgerows, grassland and trees will be planted. Tony Juniper, from Natural England, said: "Many of the solutions to climate change are all around us in the natural world. "From trees, hedges and grasslands that absorb carbon from the air to the peat-rich soils that hold it in the ground, there are huge opportunities to catch carbon while achieving other benefits at the same time, including increasing our ability to adapt to climate change impacts." Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram . Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk . Use technology to fight climate change - report Nature projects to test carbon capture GOV.UK Full list of the road closures and roadworks across the North East this week Teenager blackmailed vulnerable pensioner with police threat over fake debt Water seeps down the aisles as flooding hits County Durham supermarket WI members raise 2,500 for charity with skinny dip at Northumberland beach 22 locations in Washington and Houghton with most crime reported Plans submitted for loft conversion with a dormer window in Prudhoe Morocco rescuers dig with bare hands as foreign aid sent US denies Cold War with China in historic Vietnam visit How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine G20 language How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine G20 language US denies Cold War with China in historic Vietnam visit 'Everyone in this village is either dead or missing' A Serbian scientist's long quest to name Srebrenica's dead How chronic pain feels for me. Video How chronic pain feels for me Guyana scrambles to make the most of oil wealth The spongy creatures cleaning Zanzibar's oceans. Video The spongy creatures cleaning Zanzibar's oceans Inside a 'hijacked' South African building. Video Inside a 'hijacked' South African building The rise and fall of a parenting influencer Florida's first hurricane-proof town The greatest spy novel ever written? Why is everyone crazy about Aperol? 2023 BBC.