In This Article:
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 14, 2025 / ScottsMiracle-Gro:
Originally published in ScottsMiracle-Gro's 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report
Peat is a valuable ingredient in soil and potting mixes that home gardeners and commercial growers appreciate for its soil amendment properties. In addition to providing ideal soil consistency and moisture retention, peat has important environmental benefits, including trapping carbon and supporting wildlife. Because peat is a limited natural resource and provides environmental benefits, we prioritize responsible sourcing. Many of our peat moss production sites in Canada are certified Veriflora® Responsibly Managed Peatlands, demonstrating our commitment to the preservation and restoration of these vital ecosystems. In Canada, where our peat is sourced, strict regulations control access to the territory and conservation of its resources.
Scotts Canada participates in collaborative research with universities throughout Canada under the Peatland Ecology Research Group (PERG), a collaboration between the scientific community, the peat industry and government agencies. This collaboration improves our understanding of the impacts of peat use and the best practices for rehabilitation. PERG's mission is to develop knowledge about peatlands and wetlands and their ecological restoration to guide societal responsible peat management.
Notably, recent research has shown that:
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A plant cover, composed of typical bog species dominated by sphagnum mosses, can be re-established within three to five years.
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The productivity rate of sphagnum mosses and the accumulation of organic matter in restored bogs after eight years are comparable to those in pristine sites.
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The annual carbon balance of restored peatland sites returns to values comparable to those of the natural environment within 10 to 15 years of restoration practices.
We are committed to developing and maintaining respectful and collaborative relationships with Canadian aboriginal communities where we source sphagnum peat moss. For example, we are supporting an Aboriginal Knowledge Study to document the historical use of a specific peatland environment in New Brunswick. As part of this study, a resource commissioned by a group of Mi'kmaq communities is conducting excavations to identify and preserve artifacts related to peatland use. In addition, a report compiling the results of interviews held with people from the community near the peat harvesting site was completed in 2023 to establish the historical facts and aboriginal traditions associated with this site.