Irish Peat Bogs
If you look out over a peat bog, one’s initial reaction might be that it looks quite boring, but if you read about peat bogs I highly doubt that you will ever think this way again. Peat bogs are fascinating. Their ecosystems are incredibly unique and not what most people are used to seeing and experiencing in their back yards, nearby forests, wetlands, etc.
Here is an excellent web site for learning about Irish peat bogs on the Irish Peatland Conservation Council’s web site: http://www.ipcc.ie/informationsheets.html
Sphagnum Moss (in the picture to the right) is the primary component of peat. As the moss grows taller, it blocks sunlight from it’s lower parts, which then die. Most solid material doesn’t decompose in bogs – it gets preserved. Every year where Sphagnum moss thrives, the peat bogs will grow an average of 1 mm higher. Hundreds or thousands of years later, humans dig up the peat, find interesting artifacts preserved in the peat, dry out the peat (which is then called “turf”) and because the Sphagnum moss didn’t decompose, it is combustible, and is used for heating homes and cooking.
Do read about bogs – we have them in the United States and Canada as well. If you’d like to order authentic eco-friendly turf from Ireland, go to http://www.irishsmoke.ie/.
Posted: March 6th, 2007 under Geography.
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