The Effect of Peatland Forestry on Fluxes of Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide

Abstract

Mires are wet environments where a portion of the carbon and nutrients fixed in plant biomass accumulates as peat. Boreal and subarctic peatlands contain 455 Pg of sequestered carbon, which is 30 percent of the total organic carbon in the world's soil reservoir. In Scandinavia, forestry on natural peatlands is only possible in nutrient-rich, well-aerated, thin-peat spruce mires. On sites with a thick peat layer, the trees are sparse or nonexistent and the water table must be lowered by ditching to improve forest growth. The increase after harvesting is comparable to the changes occurring in harvested natural treed peatlands. In continuous peatland forestry, harvested sites have to be prepared after the rotation with methods similar to those used in the drainage of virgin mires. The amount of carbon input in drained peatlands, especially as below-ground biomass and root litter, is also difficult to estimate.