Editing Askham Bog (section)

==Past use and current management==
===Peat cutting===
From the early [[Roman period]] until the mid-18th century, Askham Bog and its environsy appeared to have been intensely exploited for peat as fuel.<ref name = "FitterSmith"/> The earliest evidence of nearby peat cutting from the Roman period was discovered in a Roman well in York in the form of lumps of sphagnum peat.<ref>Hall A., Hood J.&nbsp;R.&nbsp;S., Kenworthy H., Williams D. 1979. Biological evidence from Roman deposits at Skledergate.  ''The Archaeology of York'' '''14''' 3.</ref>

In the [[Middle Ages]], peat was cut by the villagers of [[Dringhouses]] and [[Acomb, North Yorkshire|Acomb]], as evidenced by the written bylaws of the Manor of Drighouses and Acomb Court Rolls, which restricted peat cutting by tenants. The severe penalties imposed by these legal restrictions reflect the attempt by the local authorities back then to counteract the damaging intensity of peat extraction at Askham Bog.<ref name = "FitterSmith"/> Intensive peat cutting had probably caused substantial topographical changes on the bog since its original geographic formation. In turn, a lowering of the acid peat layer through extraction would have allowed  base-rich groundwater to inundate the centre, transforming it into an open fen.<ref name = "FitterSmith"/> Further physical evidence exists in the form of dykes surrounding the current main peat domes. These dykes would have been dug to aid removal of peat by boat.<ref name = "Fitter1980"/>

The whole bog became vegetated with woody shrubs and trees after cessation of peat cutting around the 1750s.<ref name = "FitterSmith"/> It was then extensively used as game covert from the late 19th century until the Second World War, which probably explains the extensive felling of Far Wood during this time. The bog was acquired in 1946 by Sir Francis Terry and Joseph Rowntree, who subsequently both of whom gifted it to Yorkshire Naturalists' Trust (now known as [[Yorkshire Wildlife Trust]]) in 1946. It is Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's oldest nature reserve.<ref name = "Oxford">Oxford G.&nbsp;S., Scott A.&nbsp;G. 2003. The spider fauna of Askham Bog, York, and the assessment of conservation value. ''Naturalist'' '''128''': 157–170.</ref>

===Hemp cultivation===
Fossil evidence found in distinct horizons between layers of fen peat and ''Scorpidium''-''Sphagnum'' peat at Askham Bog suggests that [[Cannabis sativa|hemp]] was once cultivated there. The evidence takes the form of preserved hemp [[achenes]] and pollen, which may be relics of [[retting]] (steeping in water)<ref name = "Bradshaw">Bradshaw R.&nbsp;H.&nbsp;W., Coxon P. 1981. New fossil evidence for the past cultivation and processing of hemp (''Cannabis sativa L.'') in eastern England. ''New Phytologist'' 89: 503–510.</ref><ref name = "Gearey">Gearey B.&nbsp;R., Hall A.&nbsp;R., Bunting M.&nbsp;J. et al. 2005. Recent palaeoenvironmental evidence for the processing of hemp (''Cannabis sativa L.'') in eastern England during the medieval period. Medieval Archaeology. pp 317–322. ISSN 0076-6097.</ref> Pollen of aquatic plants such [[Nymphaea|water lilies]] and [[Sparganium emersum|cattails]] have also been found in the same peat cores as hemp seeds and pollen. It is therefore suggested that these hemp residues were submerged during this period.<ref name = "Gearey"/>

The cultivation of hemp at Askham was probably intense during the [[Tudor period]], although the exact dates are not known. The crop was extensively cultivated and retted in England by royal decree for hemp rope for the British navy. Askham Bog's Acomb Court Roll of 1594 provides documentary evidence of hemp retting restrictions due to the malodour produced by retted fibres and the potential for retting water to pollute rivers.<ref name = "FitterSmith"/> However, hemp retting stopped in the 19th century with the increased importation of hemp rope from Europe and Russia and the increasing switch to [[sisal]] from America and [[jute]] from India..<ref name = "Bradshaw"/>

===Habitat conservation===
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust was originally established to conserve Askham Bog.<ref name = "Oxford"/> The first management plan was designed to maintain habitat diversity throughout the bog. To achieve this, the National Conservation Corps was enlisted to create more open water by digging ponds and blocking dykes, along with scrub clearance in the damp cotton-grass areas. In 1998, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust received a substantial [[Heritage Lottery Fund]] for restoration of many of its nature reserves. A large portion of this funding was used to manage Askham Bog and maintain suitable water conditions for the wildlife.<ref name = "Oxford"/>

Most of the species-rich fen areas are grazed by [[Exmoor ponies]] to encourage early successional plant species such as [[marsh orchid]] and [[Cirsium dissectum|meadow thistle]], and to suppress vigorous grasses, reed and saplings.<ref name = "ywtgrazing">{{cite web |url=http://www.ywt.org.uk/news/2012/02/27/hls-funds-grazing-management-improvement-askham-bog |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419183703/http://www.ywt.org.uk/news/2012/02/27/hls-funds-grazing-management-improvement-askham-bog |archivedate=19 April 2018 |accessdate=15 April 2018 |url-status=dead |title=HLS funds grazing management improvement at Askham Bog |date=27 February 2012}}</ref> This is considered a more effective management tool than cutting, though some meadows on the site are still cut for hay..<ref name="ywtreserves"/>