Research in the ‘Flow Country’: Thinking Big Thurso, Caithness – March 21st-24th 2017 Preliminary Programme Tuesday 21st March 2017 18.30-21.00 Ice-Breaker and registration (Drinks and nibbles are provided) @ sponsored by HIE ETEC (NHC) Wednesday 22nd March 2017 8.30 Arrival and registration @ Thurso cinema 9.00 Opening and Welcome address (Stuart Gibb) 9.05 Introduction to the conference – CHAIR : Roxane Andersen SESSION 1 – Restoring blanket bogs as multi-functional landscapes CHAIR: Roxane Andersen 9.15 Keynote 1 – Irish Peatland Conservation and Restoration: An Ecohydrological Approach. Raymond Flynn (The Queen’s University, Belfast) 9.45 Vegetation response to restoration management of a blanket bog damaged by drainage and afforestation – Mark Hancock (RSPB) 10.05 Measuring restoration progress using pore- and surface-water chemistry across a chronosequence of formerly afforested blanket bogs – Paul Gaffney (ERI) 10.25 Greenhouse gas balance of blanket peat bog restoration from forestry in the Flow Country – Renée Hermans (U. Stirling) 10.45 Restoring peatlands for above-ground invertebrate communities – Ainoa F. Pravia (ERI/JHI) 11.05 Tea break SESSION 2 – Long term studies CHAIR : Steve Chapman 11.40 A long-term study of peat subsidence due to afforestation and drainage – Russell Anderson (Forest Research) 12.00 Long term peatland subsidence monitoring by using the ISBAS InSAR technique: validation over Bad a Cheo forest, North East Scotland. Christopher Marhsall ( U. Nottingham) 12.20 An assessment of carbon storage in shallow lakes of the Flow Country, Scotland – Vivenne Jones (UCL) 12.40 The effects of peatland deforestation on water quality – Nadeem Shah (Forest Research) 13.00 Lunch 13.50 The Flow Country film (24 min) 14:20 Mires & Peat: a special issue on the Flow Country research – Roxane Andersen 14:30 Towards a National Peatland Strategy - Andrew Coupar & Mike Billett 15:15 POSTER SPEED PRESENTATION and introduction to “POSTER & TASTER” session 15.30 Transfer to ETEC NHC for Poster session (walking distance) 15.40-17:30 “POSTER & TASTER” session sponsored by Forest Enterprise @ ETEC NHC 17:30-18:45 “POSTER & TASTER” session open to the public 19.00-21.00 Conference Dinner @ Flagstone 21.00-late Local entertainment and live folk music at the Comm Preliminary programme Research in the ‘Flow Country’: Thinking Big Thurso, Caithness – March 21st-24th 2017 Thursday 23rd of March 2017 9.00 Welcome to day 2 SESSION 3 – Wider than the Flows - CHAIR TBC 9.15 Keynote 2: Carbon concentrations and transformations in peatland pools - Pippa Chapman (U. Leeds) 9:45 Using MODIS data to estimate GPP over restored peatlands – Kirsten Lees (Reading University/JHI) 10.05 Understanding the wind farm repowering agenda and the implications for peatland soils. – Susan Waldron (U. Glasgow) 10.25 Public perceptions of peatlands in Scotland - Anja Byg (JHI) 10.45 Public’s views and values on peatland restoration in Scotland – Julia Martin Ortega (U. Leeds) 11.05 Tea break SESSION 4 – Looking forwards! - CHAIR Pippa Chapman 11.40 TITLE TBC – Tom Sloan (U. York) 12.00 EURORUN – Pete Gilbert (ERI/UHI) 12.20 Land Ocean Carbon TransfEr: Locate -Amy Pickard (CEH) 12.40 TITLE TBC - Skyline team (Forest Research/U. Aberdeen/JHI) 13.00 Lunch 13.50 Update from the Forsinard reserve – Danni Klein (RSPB) 14.10 IUCN UK Peatland Programme - Jillian Hoy/Emma Goodyear (IUCN) 14.30 WORKSHOP 15.30 WORKSHOP SUMMARY 15.40 Best presentation prizes & conference close 15.50 Tea break 16.00 Departure for 16.34 train 18.30-late Dinner in town (not provided) Friday 24th March 2017 7.45 Meeting in the ERI Castle St. car park for field trip 8.00 Departure for field trip 13:47 Train departs from Forsinard 17:07 Train departs from Forsinard .