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Finland

The original peatland area of Finland was 118,850 km². In 1996 the peatland area had reduced to 89,200 km². Finland has three peatland types ombrotrophic (nutrient poor) raised bog, minerotrophic (ground water fed) aapa mires and hemi-arctic & arctic mires. 8.4% of the present peatland area in Finland is under conservation.

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Sloping fen vegetation in Hiidenvaara Nature Reserve.
Copyright Peter Foss 1999.

Eriophorum latifolium growing in a sloping rich fen in Hiidenvaara Nature Reserve.
Copyright Peter Foss 1999.

Plain ombrotrophic bog vegetation in Elimssylo National Park.
Copyright Peter Foss 1999.

Rubus chamaemorus growing on a sphagnum hummock in the Elimssylo National Park.
Copyright Peter Foss 1999.

Karhujä rvenneva bog in Kauhajoki, western Finland, a small eccentric bog with sparse pines. On the hummocks there is bog dominated by Calluna-Sphagnum fuscum vegetation, in the hollows Sphagnum balticum-Eriophorum vaginatum vegetation occurs. The mire was drained for forestry in 1977, but there is no improvement in timber growth.
Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1983.

Levaneva bog in Laihia, western Finland. A large protected mire system, covering 3,000 hectares, consisting of concentric bogs, eccentric bogs and an aapamire. The picture ia a view of a concentric bog. There is a rich bird fauna in the mire. In theminerotrophic parts a number of rare plants occur including Dactylorhiza incarnata,and Pedicularis sceptrum-carolinum.
Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1982.

Kampinkeidas bog in Kauhajoki, western Finland. A large concentric bog, covering 700 hectares. The margins have been drained for forestry and peat mining, but the central parts are intact. There are large bog pools and wet mud hollows. The bird fauna is very rich, containing 30 different species including ducks, plovers, gulls, Gavia arctica, Lagopus lagopus, Lanius excubitor,Falco columbarius.
Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1977.

Särkineva bog in Parkano, western Finland. A mid-sized mire (200 ha) with eccentric bog and a transition mire with non-patterned hummocks and wetter Sphagnum surfaces. The mire is mostly intact. The flora and bird fauna are poor, because there are not open water areas or specific minerotrophic areas. Anthus pratensis, Motacilla flava, Numenius phaeopus and Pluvialis apricaria are typical species in the sparse bird fauna. This kind of mire is very typical in the transition zone between ombrotrophic bog and aapamire regions.
Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1982.

Short-sedge pine bog (the vegetation is mainly formed of Sphagnum angustifolium and Eriophorum vaginatum with some dwarf shrubs including Betula nana, Andromeda polifolia, Ledum palustre and Calluna vulgaris) in the margin of Kauhaneva bog in Kauhajoki, western Finland. Kauhaneva bog is a mire system covering some 3,000 hectares and consisting of large concentric bogs, aapamires, eccentric bogs and Sphagnum fuscum bogs. Most of the mire system is intact, and is protected as a national park. Such sites were very common in past, but most have been damaged by forestry planting during the 1960s. Due to abundant ground water seepage there are also small patches of rich fens. Carex paniculata grows in one of these at the northern most locality in Europe.
Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1985.

A restored short-sedge pine bog in Kirkkaanlamminneva bog in Ikaalinen, western Finland. The site in the picture was drained in 1972 for forestry. In 1982 it was included in the Seitseminen National Park, and in 1992 it was restored. The ditches were filled and the trees which had grown after ditching were removed. The aim was to return the original water level which had sunk 50 cm due to ditching. In the picture one can see that Sphagna have started to colonize the peat surface in the old ditches.
Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1995.

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	Sloping fen vegetation in Hiidenvaara Nature Reserve. Copyright Peter Foss 1999.
	Eriophorum latifolium growing in a sloping rich fen in Hiidenvaara Nature Reserve. Copyright Peter Foss 1999.
	Plain ombrotrophic bog vegetation in Elimssylo National Park. Copyright Peter Foss 1999.
	Rubus chamaemorus growing on a sphagnum hummock in the Elimssylo National Park. Copyright Peter Foss 1999.
	Karhujä rvenneva bog in Kauhajoki, western Finland, a small eccentric bog with sparse pines. On the hummocks there is bog dominated by Calluna-Sphagnum fuscum vegetation, in the hollows Sphagnum balticum-Eriophorum vaginatum vegetation occurs. The mire was drained for forestry in 1977, but there is no improvement in timber growth. Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1983.
	Levaneva bog in Laihia, western Finland. A large protected mire system, covering 3,000 hectares, consisting of concentric bogs, eccentric bogs and an aapamire. The picture ia a view of a concentric bog. There is a rich bird fauna in the mire. In theminerotrophic parts a number of rare plants occur including Dactylorhiza incarnata,and Pedicularis sceptrum-carolinum. Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1982.
	Kampinkeidas bog in Kauhajoki, western Finland. A large concentric bog, covering 700 hectares. The margins have been drained for forestry and peat mining, but the central parts are intact. There are large bog pools and wet mud hollows. The bird fauna is very rich, containing 30 different species including ducks, plovers, gulls, Gavia arctica, Lagopus lagopus, Lanius excubitor,Falco columbarius. Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1977.
	Särkineva bog in Parkano, western Finland. A mid-sized mire (200 ha) with eccentric bog and a transition mire with non-patterned hummocks and wetter Sphagnum surfaces. The mire is mostly intact. The flora and bird fauna are poor, because there are not open water areas or specific minerotrophic areas. Anthus pratensis, Motacilla flava, Numenius phaeopus and Pluvialis apricaria are typical species in the sparse bird fauna. This kind of mire is very typical in the transition zone between ombrotrophic bog and aapamire regions. Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1982.
	Short-sedge pine bog (the vegetation is mainly formed of Sphagnum angustifolium and Eriophorum vaginatum with some dwarf shrubs including Betula nana, Andromeda polifolia, Ledum palustre and Calluna vulgaris) in the margin of Kauhaneva bog in Kauhajoki, western Finland. Kauhaneva bog is a mire system covering some 3,000 hectares and consisting of large concentric bogs, aapamires, eccentric bogs and Sphagnum fuscum bogs. Most of the mire system is intact, and is protected as a national park. Such sites were very common in past, but most have been damaged by forestry planting during the 1960s. Due to abundant ground water seepage there are also small patches of rich fens. Carex paniculata grows in one of these at the northern most locality in Europe. Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1985.
	A restored short-sedge pine bog in Kirkkaanlamminneva bog in Ikaalinen, western Finland. The site in the picture was drained in 1972 for forestry. In 1982 it was included in the Seitseminen National Park, and in 1992 it was restored. The ditches were filled and the trees which had grown after ditching were removed. The aim was to return the original water level which had sunk 50 cm due to ditching. In the picture one can see that Sphagna have started to colonize the peat surface in the old ditches. Copyright Raimo Heikkilä 1995.