SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 27


200,000 acres of peatlands and five other large leases were requested in
which peat was destined for horticultural usage.
 The Minnesota Legislature responded by funding the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources to study some implications of peat
mining (Malterer, 1980). The Minnesota Study included consideration of
the following topics: 1) socioeconomic implications, 2) policy, 3) leasing,
4) environmental baseline studies, and 5) a separately funded resource
estimation of the state's peatlands. Environmental baseline studies
included air, water, vegetation and wildlife. Studies of utilization oppor-
tunities and constraints as well as studies of opportunities for reclama-
tion following mining were completed (Asmussen, 1980). These studies
pointed out a number of land-use options including: 1) preservation of
peatlands, 2) use of peatlands for agriculture, 3)forestry, 4) mining of
peat for horticulture, 5) mining and processing of peat for industrial
chemicals, and 6) mining of peat for energy and conversion. A panel of
peatland ecologists is working toward identification of bogs with preser-
vation value based on uniqueness, representativeness and recreation
value. Reclamation of peatlands for use as wildlife habitat has been
investigated in a study which monitored the evolution of recently exca-
vated ponds in peat.
 Farnham, et al. (1980) note that the stability of any given crop
depends on climate, hydrology, chemical and physical properties of peat
and marketability of final products. The major limit to agricultural devel-
opment in northern Minnesota is the relatively short, frost-free period
each year (June 1-August 15). These authors (Farnham, et al., 1980)
report that studies dealing with grasses and grains show no significant
difference in yield and quality between crops grown on the surface of
developed or excavated peatlands.
 Two reclamation options being considered by Minnesota researchers,
as well as worldwide workers, are agriculture and bioenergy (Farnham,
et al., 1980). Reclamation research aimed at agriculture has identified
vegetable and agronomic crops adaptable to northern Minnesota. Spe-
cies have been placed in mined and unmined environments with species
and fertilizer treatments varied to allow recognition of factors which
enhance productivity (Asmussen, 1980). Bioenergy crops (cattails, wil-
lows and alders, among others) are currently under investigation for
cultivation in wetlands since production of these crops would provide a
renewable energy resource. S.R.I.C. ("short rotation intensively culti-
vated") refers to the application of agricultural techniques developed to
promote growth of selected bioenergy crops (Farnham, et al., 1980).
 The extensive peatlands of Minnesota have been the subject of inten-
sive research since 1975. The research program was devised to provide
information on which to base leasing decisions. One continuing thrust of
this research has been the identification of reclamation methods specifi-
cally adapted to the climate and geologic setting of Minnesota's
peatlands.