%0 Research Notes
%T Classification of peatlands drained for forestry
%A Laine, Jukka
%D 1989
%J Suo - Mires and peat
%V 40
%N 1
%U http://suo.fi/article/9651
%X In the Finnish classification of drained peatlands in practical forestry, the post-drainage successional plant communities of recently drained areas have been traditionally classified according to their original mire site type (33 different types in forestry use), whereas the more stable communities of older drainage areas have been classified into so called "drained peat-land forest types" (4 types). This system is not firmly based on ecological factors or forestry requirements. The classification would be more logical and operational in forestry, if the successional plant communities of younger drainage areas already were classified into the drained peatland forest types. The paper describes seven such drained peatland forest types: herb-rich type, Vaccinium myrtillus type (I) and (II), Vaccinium vitis-idaea type (I) and (II), dwarf-shrub type and the Cladina type, which have their parallels in the series of upland forest types. The traditional V. myrtillus and V. vitis-idaea types have each been divided into two types; type (I) develops from genuine, forested mire types and type (II) from treeless and sparsely forested composite types. The proposed classification is supported by tree stand and peat property data presented in the paper.

Keywords: Classification, drained peatlands, vegetation