Perennial Energy Crops on Drained Peatlands in Finland

Abstract

Finland has a large area under peatlands (more than 10 M ha). Under pristine conditions, peatlands are a sink for atmospheric CO2 and a source of methane to the atmosphere. Since the 1950s, peatlands in Finland have been drained for forestry, agriculture, and peat extraction for energy. Once drained, peatlands transform into large sources of CO2 to the atmosphere and weak sinks for methane. Finding a suitable after-use option for drained peatlands is complicated by the specific nature of the drained peatland type. As an after-use option on a cutover peatland, the cultivation of a perennial bioenergy crop on a drained peatland in eastern Finland was explored during 2004–2011. The long-term measurements of greenhouse gas exchange from this study site showed that the benefits from bioenergy crop cultivation vary strongly depending on the climatic conditions during the crop cultivation phase.