Authors:
Lars Lundin, Elve Lode, Monika Strömgren and Torbjörn Nilsson
Book:
After Wise Use – The Future of Peatlands, Proceedings of the 13th International Peat Congress: Peatland After-Use
Keywords:
greenhouse-gas, limnic-life, peat-cutting, restoration, water-quality
Documentfile:
Lundin et al. 2008: Wetland: wise after-use at terminated peat cuttings
Summary:
Restoration is highlighted in European land-use exploration. Peatland used for peat harvesting is one such priority land use. Wise after-use of terminated peat-cuttings includes considerations of the landscape, hydrology, biodiversity and climate change. Considerable changes in site conditions, from the pre-cutting mire surface, exist after extraction of peat. Peat layers of several thousand years old are now facing current water and atmosphere contact. Such conditions have been investigated in two rewetted sites with different nutrient conditions. Ecological characteristics are reflecting peat conditions, resulting hydrology and water chemistry, evidentely influencing established vegetation and limnic life and greenhouse gas emissions.