SPHAGNUM RE-ESTABLISHMENT ON BARE PEAT - an evaluation of restoration results

Abstract: Restoration of former peat extraction sites is a rather young practice in Sweden. As part of the EU-funded project Life to Ad(d)mire, the County Administrative Board of Jönköping have restored a number of areas affected by peat extraction, with the purpose of achieving a favorable conservation status for the habitats and the species that depend on them. The main purpose of the current project has been to examine to what extent peat mosses, Sphagna, have re-established on the bare peat surfaces exposed after excavation on two of these sites. I further wanted to look into potential causes for within-site variation. Sphagnum coverage, species composition, thickness of the Sphagnum layer and relative water table position was measured in the field. The results indicate that a higher water table is preferable to a lower one in terms of thickness and coverage of Sphagnum. However, the species that were commonly found in the wettest areas are known to decompose faster than their hummock-living relatives more typically found in the slightly drier sites. The main purpose of the restoration project was to counteract the habitat loss due to overgrowth in order to favor birds. Poor Sphagnum establishment may therefore not be an urgent problem. It could, however, indicate that the water table is still too low or unstable in certain areas. If this is the case, higher vegetation could potentially re-establish and increase the need for further interventions.