The Effects of Water Management on the CO2 Uptake of Sphagnum Moss in a Reclaimed Peatland

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To harvest Sphagnum on a cyclic basis and rapidly accumulate biomass, active water management is necessary. The goal of this study is to determine the hydrological conditions that will maximise CO₂ uptake in Sphagnum farming basins following the moss-layer transfer technique. Plot CO₂ uptake doubled from the first growing season to the second, but growth was not uniform across the site. Results indicate that the seasonal oscillations in water table (WT) position were more important than actual WT position for estimating Sphagnum ground cover and CO₂ uptake when the seasonal WT is shallow (< -25 cm). Plots with higher productivity had a WT range (seasonal maximum – minimum) less than 15 cm, a WT position which did not fluctuate more than ± 7.5 cm, and a low WT standard deviation. Each basin was a CO₂ source during the second growing season, and seasonal modelled NEE ranged from 107.1 to 266.8 g CO₂ m^-2. Decomposition from the straw mulch accounted for over half of seasonal respiration, and the site is expected to become a CO₂ sink as the straw mulch decomposes and moss cover increases. This study highlights the importance of maintaining stable moisture conditions to increase Sphagnum growth and CO₂ sink functions.