SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 27


peat deposits of Florida combined with detailed work in the Everglades
Agricultural Area (Griffin, et al., 1982).
 The current study was undertaken in response to a directive from the
Florida Legislature originating in the Natural Resources Committee of the
Florida House of Representatives. It provides a compilation of informa-
tion concerning the location and amount of Florida's peat resources. In
addition, the various aspects of the Everglades Agricultural Area are
described in some detail and implications of subsidence of peats in this
region are considered. Emphasis is also placed on existing information
relative to potential effects of peat mining on Florida's environment.
Legislation which may be applied to peat mining, water quality parame-
ters monitored in conjunction with various phases of peat mining, and
methods of regulation applied to the peat resource by Minnesota, North
Carolina, and New Brunswick are included as appendices to this report.

DEFINITION OF PEAT AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS DEFINITION


 by
 Paulette Bond

 Peat is defined by workers in a variety of disciplines (geology, botany,
soil science, and horticulture among others). These definitions have pro-
liferated in response to the multiple uses of peat. The American Geologi-
cal Institute defines peat as, "An unconsolidated deposit of semicar-
bonized plant remains of a watersaturated environment, such as a bog or
fen and of persistently high moisture content (at least 75 percent). It is
considered an early stage or rank in the development of coal . ." (Gary,
et al., eds., 1974). This extremely general definition notes several essen-
tial points. Peat is composed of plant remains which accumulate in a wet
environment. It is considered to be an early product of the coal-forming
process.
 In a definition which will be published in an upcoming volume (A.
Cohen, personal communication, 1984), the American Society for Test-
ing and Materials (ASTM) defines peat as a naturally occurring unconsoli-
dated substance derived primarily from plant materials. Peat is distin-
guished from other organic soil materials by its lower ash content (less
than 25 percent ash by dry weight [ASTM Standards D2974]) and from
other phytogenic material of higher rank (i.e. lignite coal) by its lower
BTU value on a water saturated basis. This definition is designed so that
peats may be classified objectively and distinguished from both organic
soils and coals.
 Griffin, et al., (1982) note the definition of fuel grade peat which was
used by the United States Department of Energy for its "Peat Develop-
ment Program". Fuel grade peat was defined as an organic soil consist-
ing of greater than 75 percent organic matter in the dry state. In order for
a peat deposit to be classified as fuel grade, the deposit must be at least