The Churchyard Carbon Survey

A ‘Churchyard Carbon Survey’ has been commissioned by the Church of England from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in association with the conservation charity Caring for God’s Acre. Previous map-based surveys had equated the capacity for churchyards to absorb atmospheric carbon with other urban and suburban open spaces, not taking account of the specific way in which we manage and use our land. The objective of the current exercise is to establish how effective churchyards are as carbon sinks relative to their surrounding environs. This information will be invaluable in helping to plot a pathway towards net zero for both the Church of England itself and the wider community.

Around 170 parishes nationwide expressed interest in participating, but funding was only available for fifty. One of those selected was St Stephen’s Church, and members of the Cathedral’s Eco Team were delighted to accept an invitation to assist with their survey which took place on the (somewhat damp!) morning of Saturday 7 January. The home team concentrated on taking soil samples from carefully plotted locations using a tool called an auger (a scaled-up apple corer!). 25 such samples had to be extracted (carefully avoiding recent burial sites and other sensitive areas) and thoroughly mixed together, from which a representative 200g was sent to the UKCEH in Bangor for analysis.

Meanwhile the Cathedral delegates were assembling data to describe the church’s impressive array of tree species. Pride of place amongst these is the magnificent lime (visible from the King Harry road junction) which towers over fifteen metres above its surroundings. Other typical churchyard varieties observed were cedar, yew, holly and hornbeam, and the records we took of their respective girth, height and maturity will help the scientists estimate the churchyard’s overall carbon capacity above ground as well as below it. Alongside this activity, we were encouraged to take general notice of interesting flora and fauna we encountered, for which the mobile phone app iNaturalist was particularly recommended. It offers a very user-friendly means of identifying and recording species, and we are inspired to undertake a survey of this kind of our own cathedral grounds when the weather improves.

Anyone interested in learning more about the work of the Eco Team, or volunteering for our occasional working parties, is warmly encouraged to contact us via mail@stalbanscathedral.org

Geoff McMahon