Abstract
Early attempts at peatland restoration have been aimed mostly at rewetting the peat, which alone has proven inadequate to ensure good regeneration ofSphagnum mosses.Sphagnum mosses can be actively reintroduced by scatteringSphagnum fragments (diaspores) on bare peat surfaces and by sheltering them against desiccation. The present study aims at refining the restoration techniques to reintroduceSphagnum where the surface conditions of cutover peatlands are too harsh for naturalSphagnum establishment. The objective is to increase local moisture conditions of the peat by reprofiling the surface to invert the camber created during drainage operations.Sphagnum diaspores were spread in the concavity. Reprofiling fields increasedSphagnum establishment compared to control sites. The addition of two plastic sheets on the edge of the field reduced evaporation and directed precipitation towards the middle of the field. When they were combined with reprofiling, there was a further increase in the establishment success ofSphagnum.
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Bugnon, JL., Rochefort, L. & Price, J.S. Field experiment ofSphagnum reintroduction on a dry abandoned peatland in eastern Canada. Wetlands 17, 513–517 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03161517
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03161517