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1.0 INTRODUCTION <br />1.1 Purpose and Scope of the Report <br />The purpose of this report is to provide the Mined Land <br />Reclamation Division and ultimately the Mined Land Reclamation <br />Board with information on the status and impacts of peat <br />extraction in Colorado. It follows an earlier report <br />commissioned by the Mined Land Reclamation Board (Epel 1987) in <br />which the major issues generally associated with peat extraction <br />were identified. This report attempts to qualify issues which <br />are specifically pertinent to the Colorado situation. It is <br />based on information collected from both researchers and peat <br />operators during the 1989 Colorado field season, as well as <br />information from the literature. <br />The report is fairly broad in its scope and thus by <br />necessity treats each topic in less detail than would otherwise <br />be the case. This is a function of both the reconnaissance level <br />status of the project and the commitment in time and funding made <br />to any particular portion of the study. The study addresses <br />several points of particular concern. For instance, included is <br />a full accounting of the quantity of peat extracted by peat <br />operators in the state. Additionally, an estimate was made of <br />the area of peaty soils found in the state. Together these two <br />allow a comparison of extraction rate with resource base and <br />serve as a foundation from which decisions about additional <br />information needs can be made. The report also provides a <br />0 1 <br />