Studies of carbon reserve and balance in mires and peatlands
When planning land usage of mires and peatlands, and when assessing the environmental impact of operations, it is important to know the amount of carbon stored within the mires and peatlands of the area, as well as the carbon balance.
Mires and peatlands are the soil’s most important carbon reserve; over 2/3 of Finland’s carbon reserve is in peat. Depending on the type of land usage, mires function either as a carbon sink or a carbon source for the atmosphere. The carbon reserve and balance of an area’s mires can be defined based on research data, materials, and emission factors of different forms of land usage. This allows mire areas to be assessed and to best target land usage to combat climate change. The assessment can be scaled as needed, for example, for a certain region or a specific mire pool.
Service content
- Identification of the customer’s needs (area and scale to be assessed)
- Carbon reserve and balance estimate, based on research data
- In addition to assessing the carbon reserve and balance of peat, the role of the area’s tree stand can be included in the total carbon balance of the area under consideration
- The final product is a spatial data set of the mires’ carbon reserve and balance, in a form chosen by the customer, as well as the final report. The report contains a description of the data used, assessment criteria, calculation methods, as well as the results and their evaluation.
Your benefits
- You will learn the size, location, and present state of the carbon reserve in your area’s mires and peatlands.
- You will be familiar with the carbon sink and sources of your area’s mires and peatlands.
- You will know what the carbon balance of your area’s mires and peatlands is, as well as its potential for different forms of land use.
