Restoring Raised Bog in Ireland

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EU Project Number:
LIFE 04 NAT/IE/000121

Irish Bogs

	Raised Bog Project Sites in Ireland

Two main types of bog occur in Ireland namely blanket bog and raised bog. Although these two bog types have much in common there are important differences in their distribution, development, structure and vegetation. Blanket bogs are confined to the western half of the country and mountainous areas further east where the rainfall exceeds 1200mm per year while raised bogs are largely confined to the midlands where the rainfall amounts are generally below 1200mm per year. Most areas of raised bogs have grown from a lake basin and are typically surrounded by agricultural grassland while blanket bogs tend to be much more extensive and form carpets across flat or gently undulating landscapes. Another noteworthy difference between raised and blanket bogs is peat depth. Raised bogs generally contain deeper peat deposits (typically between 4 and 8 metres) while blanket bogs are generally shallower with a peat depth of between 2 and 5 metres typical. Although raised and blanket bogs support a similar range of plant species, certain species tend to be more frequent in either type. Raised bogs tend to be dominated by deer grass (Trichophorum cespitosum), white-beaked sedge (Rhynchospora alba) and cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) while lowland blanket bogs are generally dominated by grasses and sedges, especially purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea) and black bog rush (Schoenus nigricans). Raised bogs also tend to contain a better-developed sphagnum layer than blanket bogs.

The 14 sites in this restoration project are raised bogs, spread throughout the Midlands of Ireland.

Click here to find out more about the raised bogs project sites »

Coillte have been supported by EU LIFE funding under LIFE–Nature from 2004 – 2008 to restore 571 ha of raised bog. In 2002 – 2007 the Company also received funding to restore approx 2,000 ha of Blanket Bog habitat along the western seaboard.
For details of this project log onto: www.irishbogrestorationproject.ie

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