SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 27


properly refers to the practically obsolete procedure of literally harvesting
living Sphagnum from the surface of a bog. In this procedure, Sphagnum
is allowed to continue its growth subsequent to harvesting (A. Cohen,
personal communication, 1984). Peat, however, is not considered
renewable due to its slow rate of accumulation (U.S. Department of
Energy, 1979; Moore and Bellamy, 1974).
 Currently, the choice of "harvesting" as opposed to "mining" for
 terms to describe the excavation process of peat may be arbitrary. The
 type of distinction is demonstrated in the following quotation taken from
 Peat Prospectus: "Thus, the recovery of peat is a surface mining or
 harvesting process," (U.S. Department of Energy, 1979, p. 18). It may
 be significant that surface mining carries with it certain negative environ-
 mental connotations. Harvesting is largely free of environmentally nega-
 tive connotations but this is perceived to be due to a lack of understand-
 ing since harvesting is frequently used as synonymous with surface
 mining.
 The equipment utilized in the peat removal process is not associated
 with harvesting in its commonly accepted sense. Peat operations which
 are currently active in Florida utilize earth moving and excavating
 machinery. In drained bogs such machinery commonly includes shovels,
 bulldozers and front-end loaders while draglines, clamshells and dredges
 are used in undrained bogs (Searls, 1980).
 The process of harvesting in its usual sense does not imply the neces-
 sity of extensive land reclamation. However, reclamation of peatlands
 which have been excavated is acknowledged as necessary (Minnesota
 Department of Natural Resources, 1981) and is discussed more thor-
 oughly in the section of this report entitled "Reclamation of Peatlands of
 Florida".

 Classification Systems Applied to Peat

 Peat, like many materials, is classified for the convenience of persons
using it. Since peat use in the United States has been largely agricultural,
most classification schemes are based on properties of peat pertinent to
agricultural applications. As one might expect, classification schemes
devised for agricultural application do not necessarily indicate peat qual-
ity for energy purposes. However, there is a general relationship between
peat decomposition and its energy value with respect to direct combus-
tion. This is illustrated in Figure 2.
 The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has estab-
lished maximum and minimum particle sizes for fibers found in peat
(ASTM, 1969). They additionally specify fiber content requirements for
various types of peat. The maximum particle size for fibers is 0.5 inch
(1.25 cm) and the minimum is 0.006 inches (0.15 mm). Peat is subdi-
vided into five types and each type must contain a certain percentage of
the characteristic fiber. These percentages are based on an oven-dried
weight at 1050C as opposed to volume. The types of peat recognized by