Why is it needed?

Bogs were typically drained for two reasons: to produce peat or to foster forest growth. The latter was researched by entire research institutes in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. The outcome of the experiments demonstrated that drainage of mires does not pay off regarding the forest management, especially when keeping in mind the costs for digging drainage ditches and their maintenance.

On the other hand, it created numerous problems like highly inflammable conditions during summers. Almost all larger forest fires in Estonia have occurred in drained bogs, where putting off fires is very demanding due to peat soil.

Ever more one has come to appreciate wetlands’ importance as a part of ecosystem. Nobody considers any more that bogs and mires are wasteland, where at best you can cut peat or pick berries, and that for the common good of mankind they should still be drained. Currently, the pendulum has swung to the other end, and solutions are actively sought how to regenerate the drained wetlands.

The last question has emerged in connection with greenhouse gases, especially CO2, that causes global warming. After all, wetlands are carbon binding place, where it is stored as plant residues. However, during the process of drainage, the deposited organics starts to decompose as a result of oxygen access, and the long-accumulated carbon in the form of CO2 gets back to atmosphere.

In case of Estonia, CO2 originating from drained peat fields (10 million tons) ranks second to CO2 released by thermal power stations (15 million tons), surpassing by far the amount of CO2 produced for instance by transport and industry (1.7 million tons).

The further drainage of bogs is unreasonable. Rather it is important to regenerate the drained bog areas and the wretched waste bogs abandoned by peat industries.