Selecting a site
A weakly decomposed peat composed mainly of Sphagnum mosses is the preferred product for a horticultural peat operation. This peat type is found in regions where the appropriate combinations of climatic and topographic factors have resulted in the development of bogs and fens. Thick layers of weakly decomposed Sphagnum peat can accumulate when the right combinations of factors exist. However, even when peat quality is acceptable, several other criteria must be met for a peat deposit to be suitable for production. There are many basic considerations in the selection of a peatland for production of horticultural peat:
- Peat quality must meet market requirements.
- The thickness of the high quality peat layer must be sufficient to warrant development. An average depth of two metres is generally considered to be a minimum.
- The area extent of the peatland should be large enough to warrant development. An area of 50 hectares is usually required, although smaller sites are occasionally developed.
- The peatland must have a good potential for development of enhanced drainage.
- Proximity to a transportation infrastructure (highways, truck availability), a low density of tree cover, availability of a labour force, access to electrical power, and similar factors are preferable.
- Climatic factors must be suitable for drying of the peat layer during the harvesting period, such as there being appropriate periods of consecutive days without rainfall.
Preparing the site
Once a peatland has been selected for development, surveying is carried out and a drainage plan is prepared. A drainage ditch is dug around the perimeter and drained to the low side of the bog. The surface vegetation is removed following the completion of the perimeter ditch.
To reduce the moisture in the top layer of the bog, shallow parallel ditches spaced 30 meters apart that drain into the perimeter ditch are dug. This allows the surface to dry enough that harvesting equipment can be used without fear of sinking.
The fields between the parallel ditches are then profiled so that rain water will drain to the ditches. The deposit is then ready for peat production.
Harvesting the peat
Production requires the use of the sun and wind to dry the surface peat layer. An uppermost layer is usually harrowed, breaking capillary flow and enhancing the drying process. Technically this process is called “milling” the peat. After one to three days, the dry peat layer is then collected using large vacuum harvesters or other equipment. The peat is transported to a processing facility for screening and packaging. The main peat production season in Canada is the late May to mid-September period. Production can be severely inhibited by abnormally wet spring or summer weather resulting in significant variation in annual production.
Use of the peat
Most of the peat that is produced is sold in compressed bales for use in the horticultural and nursery industries and for domestic (household) consumption. Some peat is used for the production of soil mixes by adding nutrients and other materials. Peat is also used for compressed peat pots, in biofiltration technologies and as hydrocarbon sorbants.
Production results for Canada
In 1999, peat shipments in Canada were valued at almost $170 million (Paquette and Gauthier 2000). The industry employs the majority of its workers on a seasonal basis and provides the equivalent of 1,400 to 1,600 person-years of direct employment annually. Due to the seasonal nature of employment, the actual number of employees could be tripled. It is also estimated that several thousand additional jobs in Canada and the United States are related to the shipping, trucking and handling of these peat products. In many regions, such as rural Alberta, Quebec or New Brunswick, the peat industry is an important employer.
Canadian production has undergone a steady growth over the past decade. The United States continues to represent 85 to 90 percent of the export market for peat produced in Canada, while Japan consumes up to about 10 percent of Canadian exports with the remainder being sold to a variety of other markets. About 10 percent of the total Canadian production of horticultural peat is sold on the domestic market. Peat produced in Canada is gradually capturing an increased market share in the United States. In 1987, imports from Canada represented 35 percent of consumption. This had risen to 44 percent by 1990 and to 54percent by 1998 (Cantrell 1990, United States Department of the Interior 1991, Jasinski 1999). Peat produced in the United States is generally classed as reed-sedge or Hypnum peat whereas the imports from Canada typically are a weakly decomposed Sphagnum peat, which has a higher market value per tonne.
International peat production
An International Peat Society (IPS) survey done in 1999 indicated that Canada ranked second in the global production of horticultural peat, after Germany (Table 3). In 1997, total production of peat for horticultural, fuel and other purposes was about 93.7 million cubic metres, of which 65 percent was designated for fuel uses. Ten percent of total global peat production occurs in North America. Canada currently accounts for about 75 percent of this production with about 7.3 million cubic metres of peat harvested (Hood and Sopo 1999). Canada produces approximately 22 percent of the world’s horticultural peat, making it first or second among nations, depending upon Germany’s production in a given year. Of the 13 nations included in this survey five including Canada did not use peat as an energy source in 1997.
Source: International Peat Society (2001)
| Country |
Energy Use (x 000 cubic metres) |
Horticulture Use |
| Belarus |
10281 |
764 |
| Canada |
0 |
10,317 |
| Czech Republic |
0 |
171 |
| Estonia |
2,955 |
3 484 |
| Finland |
23,483 |
2,420 |
| Germany |
0 |
9,473 |
| Hungary |
0 |
212 |
| Ireland |
13,959 |
2,400 |
|
Lithuania |
1,189 |
819 |
| Norway |
0 |
120 |
| Poland |
0 |
750 |
| Russia |
11,283 |
1,115 |
| Sweden |
2,700 |
1,400 |
| Ukraine |
1,758 |
315 |
| U. of South Africa |
0 |
42 |
| United Kingdom |
40 |
2 500 |
| United States |
0 |
1,421 |
| Total | 67,648 | 37,723 |
