evidoria

← Back to browse

Good practice Imported

Moss Layer Transfer Technique — Canadian Peatland Restoration Standard

Canada · Québec City · See the Canada profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 5% 73/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Since 1992, Universite Laval and the Canadian peat industry have mandated the Moss Layer Transfer Technique for post-extraction bogs, adopted since in South America, Japan, Australia and Europe; decade-plus monitoring shows restored bogs regain net carbon-sink function.

~10 years
Time to regain net CO2-sink function
up to 20 years
Modelled time to full peat-forming (acrotelm) function
1:10
Donor-to-receptor moss ratio
11 ha
Bois-des-Bel demonstration site area (restored from 1999)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Peatland Ecology Research Group (Université Laval) / Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association
Period
1992-present
Keywords
peat extraction restoration, Moss Layer Transfer Technique, Sphagnum reintroduction, carbon sink recovery

Context

Since 1992, Université Laval's Peatland Ecology Research Group (GRET/PERG) and the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association have developed the Moss Layer Transfer Technique (MLTT), an eight-step protocol that blocks drainage ditches to rewet extracted bogs and reintroduces a donor moss layer (roughly a 1:10 ratio) to re-establish Sphagnum cover; it is now Canada's regulation-mandated peat-restoration standard and has been transferred to South America, Japan, Australia and Europe.

Results

Peer-reviewed eddy-covariance studies at the 11 ha Bois-des-Bel demonstration site (restored from 1999) found the bog regained net CO2-sink function during the growing season within about a decade of restoration, though full peat-forming (acrotelm) function and long-term carbon accumulation take longer — modelling suggests up to 20 years — and early post-restoration years saw elevated carbon export from decomposing mulch.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

Commonly funded by

Own resources / municipal budget

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

Do you run this practice? Claim it — verified implementers get a public contact pathway and can propose corrections.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Similar practices you may find useful

★ 93

UK Peatland Code

United Kingdom

The UK's quality-assurance standard for peatland restoration: it issues verified carbon units for rewetting degraded peat, delivering bundled carbon, water …