Re-vegetation of block-cut and milled peatlands: an Estonian example

Published source details Triisberg T., Karofeld E. & Paal J. (2011) Re-vegetation of block-cut and milled peatlands: an Estonian example. Mires and Peat, 8, Article-5.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Introduce seeds of peatland trees/shrubs Action Link

Introduce seeds of peatland trees/shrubs

A site comparison study in two historically mined raised bogs in Estonia (Triisberg et al. 2011) reported that a bog sown with cranberry Oxycoccus palustris seeds (and fertilized) contained a different plant community to an unsown (and unfertilized) bog, with more plant species, more moss/lichen cover and more heather cover but similar total vegetation and cranberry cover. Most of these results are not based on tests of statistical significance. After 25 years, the overall plant community composition significantly differed between the sown and unsown bogs (data not reported). The sown bog contained more plant species in two of three comparisons (sown: 13–16; unsown: 7–15), greater moss/lichen cover in three of three comparisons (sown: 14–42%; unsown: 3–11%), greater Sphagnum moss cover in eight of nine comparisons (sown: <1–8%; unsown: 0–2%) and greater cover of heather Calluna vulgaris in three of three comparisons (sown: 1–28%; unsown: <1–17%). However, the bogs had similar total vegetation cover in two of three comparisons (sown: 42–46%; unsown: 41–48%) and cranberry cover in three of three comparisons (sown: <1–3%; unsown: 0–1%). In the late 1980s, one historically mined bog was sown with cranberry seeds (20 kg/ha) and fertilized (phosphate; 350 kg/ha). The study does not distinguish between the effects of these interventions. Another historically mined bog was neither sown nor fertilized. In the early 2000s, vegetation cover was assessed in 235 quadrats (1 m²) across the bogs: placed in ditches, along ditch margins and on flat peat.

(Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)