Bogs

©Ducks Unlimited Canada

Bogs are wetlands with layers of accumulated dead plant material known as peat. Water in bogs comes mainly from precipitation, like rain or snow, rather than ground or surface water. This makes the water more acidic, less nutrient-rich, and lower in oxygen, than in other types of wetlands. The result is slower plant growth overall, and especially, slower plant decay. The slow decay is what leads to the layers of peat. Tannins released from peat give bog water a characteristic tea colour.

Habitat

Bogs are found mainly across the northern parts of the world in boreal ecosystems, such as northern
forests, in North America, Europe, and Asia. They do exist in the south as well but are much less common. In northern areas bogs are typically covered with sphagnum moss and may include trees such as Black Spruce and Tamarack, leafy shrubs like Labrador Tea, many orchid species, and even some carnivorous plants, including pitcher plant and sundew.  Caribou, moose, and beavers all use bogs, while many birds, such as Sandhill Cranes and yellowlegs, depend on them for nesting.

Conservation

Like other wetlands, bogs face numerous threats, primarily drainage (to create dry land for crops and
other purposes), and peat harvesting (for home heating and as an additive for soil in gardening). However, recent studies indicate that bogs are excellent carbon sinks and that they are a cost-effective way to fight climate change when they are kept on the landscape. Outside of climate change, bogs are also important in the harvest of many berries and for storing fresh water, often forming the headwaters of rivers.

back