The Forestry Commission’s project to restore the 12,000-year-old deep bogs in Northumberland known as the Border Mires has been completed nearly two years ahead of schedule.

More than 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of the Border Mires, which span from Kielder Water Reservoir and Butterburn in Northumberland, have been reinstated after a £700,000 scheme, which has seen 800,000 conifers felled on the Forestry Commission’s estate and 15km of drains blocked in order to re-wet the land.

The work was carried out in three years by the Forestry Commission, Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Northumberland National Park, Natural England, Newcastle University and RAF Spadeadam.

Neville Geddes, from the Forestry Commission, said: “For the Border Mires it’s now just a question of time. Most of the critical work has been done and the bogs will gradually heal over hundreds of years, laying down new peat and supporting ever more flourishing colonies of bag plants and insects.

“We get dazzled by the wonders of the rainforest and marvellous ancient woodlands, but while bogs may lack the same visual impact, in many ways they are an even more endangered and fragile habitat.”