SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 27


may be instituted. Florida's climate is unlike the climates of other peat
producing areas in which extensive research has been done. Peat in
Florida frequently lies directly over limestone or quartz sand. This rela-
tionship coupled with subsidence rates measured in Florida must be con-
sidered carefully with respect to reclamation to agriculture. If reclama-
tion to agriculture or silviculture is considered, the fertility of the residual
peat and its thickness must be investigated. A number of site specific
hydrologic characteristics will require consideration including the number
and types of lakes and streams as well as the relationship of the site to
groundwater resources in its area.

 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

 Mineral versus Non-Mineral

 Peat, like coal, petroleum and natural gas, does not comply with the
principal conditions set forth in the academic definition of the term min-
eral. Peat represents an early stage in a series of products which may
under certain conditions result in the conversion of vegetable matter to
pure carbon (peat-lignite-bituminous coal-anthracite-graphite), the end
product of which fits all the requirements of a true mineral. In classifying
peat as a mineral or non-mineral, there has been a tendency toward
allowing use to play an important role in the classification, that is, if used
as an agricultural product peat would be treated as a non-mineral or if
used as an energy source or fossil fuel peat would be treated as a min-
eral. Classification based on use can create considerable confusion espe-
cially with mineral products used as fertilizers. Peat has been historically
classified by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Geological Survey as
a mineral resource, a somewhat broader category than just "mineral",
along with coal, oil and natural gas. Peat is generally regarded as nonre-
newable by earth science professionals, requiring in excess of 1,000
years to generate a commercially extractable deposit of fuel grade peat.
 This study concludes that because of peat's genetic relationship to the
mineral graphite, its general classification by the U.S. Bureau of Mines
and the U.S. Geological Survey as a mineral resource, and its nonrene-
wability, peat should be classed as a "mineral resource", or "mineral
product".

 Harvesting versus Mining

 Harvesting and mining have been used synonymously to refer to the
extraction of peat. Literature searches reveal that the term harvesting
correctly refers to the nearly obsolete practice of selectively removing
living Sphagnum (peat moss) from the surface of a bog. In this practice,
Sphagnum was allowed to grow back, permitting successive harvests in
a single location. Peat (unlike living Sphagnum) is considered nonrenew-
able and the term harvesting is inappropriate when applied to peat