Mitigation of peat extraction impacts by a new peat harvesting method protecting the peatland stored solid carbon

用于生产园艺基质的泥炭提取在加拿大是一个久负盛名的行业。然而， 目前用于泥炭提取的方法耗尽了对气候有贡献的长期储存的碳(C) 变化，对在园艺和园艺中使用泥炭的社会接受度产生了负面影响。 泥炭生产和分销的世界领先者Premier Tech园艺公司明白，碳排放 必须大幅减少或停止。本着这一目标，Premier Tech园艺公司开创了一部小说 采收法，称为“端粒采收法”。因为新的泥炭切割方法不会 需要对泥炭地进行任何排水，只收获泥炭的顶部次表层(~10厘米)，留下 地表植被完好无损；我们认为长期储存的泥炭将保持完好(目标1)。此外， 最近的研究表明，这种收获方法可以通过减少泥炭的分解来优化 强化“酶锁”机制。目标2将测试酚类化合物的效果 在大规模田间试验中加入减慢分解速度的添加剂。此外，这一点的潜力 将评估维持动植物栖息地的新收获方法(目标3)，因为它的目标是收获。 以循环、可持续和优化的方式开发泥炭生物量。如果新的泥炭收获方法被证明是 成功地保护碳的长期储存不受泥炭地的影响，至少有三个非常积极的结果将 出现在整个泥炭行业：1)碳排放的显著减少缓解了气候变化，2) 实现泥炭用途(消费者)的社会可接受性，以及3)创造新的就业和机会 在加拿大和全球销售专门的收获设备。

Peat extraction for the production of horticultural substrates is a well-established industry in Canada. However, the current method used for peat extraction depletes the long-term stored carbon (C) contributing to climate change, having a negative impact on the social acceptability of using peat in gardening and horticulture. Premier Tech Horticulture, a world leader in peat production and distribution, understands that C emissions must be significantly reduced or halted. With that aim, Premier Tech Horticulture has pioneered a novel harvesting method, named the "acrotelm-harvesting method". Because the new peat cutting method does not require any draining of the peatlands and only harvests the top subsurface of the peat (~ 10 cm) leaving the surface vegetation intact; we suppose that the long-term stored peat will remain intact (objective 1). Moreover, recent research suggests that this harvesting method could be optimized by reducing peat decomposition by strengthening the mechanism of 'enzymic latch'. Objective 2 will test the effect of phenolic compound additions to slow down decomposition within a large-scale field experiment. Additionally, the potential of this new harvesting method to maintain flora and fauna habitats will be assessed (objective 3), as it aims to harvest peat biomass on a cyclical, sustainable, and optimized manner. If the new peat harvesting method proves to be successful in protecting the long-term storage of C from peatland, at least three very positive outcomes will emerge for the whole peat industry: 1) a significant reduction in C emissions mitigating climate change, 2) the achievement of social acceptability for peat use (consumers), and 3) the creation of new jobs and opportunities to sell specialized harvesting equipment in Canada and globally.