Restoring peatlands could be a powerful climate solution, trapping greenhouse gases.
In Scotland, researchers studied a restored forest-to-bog site to understand how greenhouse gas emissions change with the season. Their aim was to see how factors like the land's shape, type of plants, soil moisture, and temperature affect carbon dioxide and methane levels. They found that areas like ridges and furrows absorb more greenhouse gases, while bog pools release them. Certain plant species, like Trichophorum cespitosum, can increase methane emissions. Overall, restoring forestry sites to bogs can impact greenhouse gas levels, with terraforming possibly leading to short-term increases in both carbon dioxide and methane emissions.