Restoration of Mire Ecosystems in Finland
The goal of mire habitat restoration is to return drained mires to their natural state. The first stage is to attempt to restore the natural hydrological regime of a mire, to ensure that the dried out peat can gradually reabsorb moisture. Woodland plants will then gradually give way to mire species, which can regain dominance over mire within just a few years. When the water level remains high, mire vegetation in restored mire habitats will begin to form fresh peat again, just as it does in natural mires.
Attempts are also made to restore original mire landscapes. With the reestablishment of mire vegetation and landscapes, other mire species also gradually return to their former haunts.
But mire habitat restoration work can take decades. There is a particularly urgent need for restoration work in southern Finland, where three-quarters of all mires have been drained.
In restored mire habitats ditches are blocked, and trees may also be felled to reduce the loss of moisture through transpiration, at the same time reproducing the original open mire landscape.
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