New Map Service Shows Sphagnum Moss Harvesting Sites in Finland
Sphagnum moss has been harvested commercially in Finland since 2016. Sphagnum moss can be used in many ways, most notably as a growing medium in crop cultivation. Now all known harvesting sites in Finland have been collected to the Geological Survey of Finland’s geospatial dataset.
The new ‘Sphagnum moss harvesting sites’ map service is a geospatial dataset compiled by GTK in which private operators can report the Sphagnum moss biomass sites they have harvested. The data covers all Sphagnum moss harvesting sites since the start of operations in 2016, except for small-scale experimental sites.
There are currently 30 harvesting sites in the service. The map data shows the operator, harvesting year, area information, and locality. From now on, the plan is to update the map service annually based on the information provided by the operators.
Sphagnum moss biomass is a renewable natural material that can be harvested from the surface layer of mires. Sphagnum moss has many potential uses, starting from insulation sheets, but it is most notably used as a growing medium in crop cultivation. As a growing medium, the properties of Sphagnum moss are almost equal to peat, and it can be produced in both low-productive forestry drainage areas and peat extraction sites. Commercial Sphagnum moss harvesting is relatively new in Finland, and in the future, the aim is not only to harvest but also to grow Sphagnum moss.
The new map service is intended for both operators in the sector and, for example, land use planning. The goal is also to increase awareness of harvesting activities so that all operators involved in the harvesting of Sphagnum moss would start using the service and the data would remain as up-to-date and comprehensive as possible.
The map service has been produced as part of the ’Climate Wise Sphagnum-Based Growing Media – Possibilities for Sustainable Harvesting’ (RahKoo) project.
Further information
Maija Lampela
Senior Researcher
Geological Survey of Finland GTK
maija.lampela@gtk.fi
tel. +358 29 503 0151
The Sphagnum moss harvesting sites dataset can be found in the following GTK data services:
HAKKU search and download service
Mires and peatlands map service (in Finnish)
The data can also be obtained from the WMS interface service
News: Renewable Sphagnum Moss Provides a Climate-wise Growing Media to Replace Peat
Project introduction: Climate Wise Sphagnum-Based Growing Media – Possibilities for Sustainable Harvesting (RahKoo)
The RahKoo project is part of the Catch the Carbon climate action programme launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in spring 2020. The measures aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry, and other land use and to strengthen carbon sinks and stocks.
