Laserfiche WebLink
listing of all the known extraction sites found in the state so <br />that, if desired, peat extraction and its impacts can be 0 <br />monitored. <br />1.2 Peatland Morphology and Types <br />This section of the report identifies the processes by which <br />peatlands develop, the characteristics of peatlands in general, <br />and characterizes peatlands as they tend to occur in Colorado. It <br />is important from a management perspective to understand the <br />factors upon which the development and existence of peatlands are <br />dependent. Management decisions made with an understanding of <br />the peatland ecosystem's requirements are less likely to decrease <br />the natural values of peatlands, or result in inadvertent losses • <br />of peatland acreage. <br />Peatlands develop in areas where the rate of vegetation <br />growth is in excess of the rate of decomposition for long periods <br />of time. Typically, peat requires four essentials for its <br />formation: 1) a consistent water supply, 2) a catchment, basin, <br />or some other means of restricting the flow of the water, 3) <br />organic matter to fill in the basin, and 4) time on the order of <br />thousands of years in which to accumulate the organic matter. <br />Generally, peatlands are divided into two categories based on <br />their source of water; those that receive all of their water and <br />nutrients from atmospheric sources (ombrotrophic /bogs), and those <br />that, in addition to precipitation, receive water and nutrients <br />2 0 <br />