Paludification

Paludification is the process by which forest is converted to peatland.

Paludification is the most common process by which peatlands in the boreal zone are formed. Paludification involves peat accumulation on previously drier, vegetated habitats in mineral soils, representing a shift from forests, grasslands, or long-exposed bare land to peatland, with organic soils initiating and thickening as peat accumulates. The accumulation of peat can be driven by factors external to the ecosystem, such as climate, geomorphology, geology, and soils, or by internal factors within the ecosystem, such as local peat accumulation. Central to the process is the hydrological balance, which must be positive (wet) during the growing season for paludification to proceed.

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