FUNCTIONING OF ORGANIC SOILS UNDER RESTORATION PRACTICES P.              Bartminski, R. D^bicki

email: pbartminski@gmail.com

In the second half of the past century, many peatlands in Poland were strongly modified or degraded by melioration (drainage) practices that were aimed to enable agricultural and forestry use of the previously boggy areas.

The research was carried out in 2006-2008, in selected points that represented the most typical sites of “Miedzyrzeki” peatland. The peatland, located in south-eastern Poland, is a small (96 hectares) ombrogenic object, characterized by peat thickness not exceeding 1.5 meters. Existing watercourses cut peat bed till mineral underlying material. The peatland was drained nearly forty years ago, in order to allow forest management. At the end of the century, restoration practices were carried out, which mainly involved filling up drainage ditches. Old forest railway embankment was also used. The practices aimed at restoring habitat conditions from before drainage reclamation [1].

The goal of this work is to find out whether 10 years from the beginning of restoration it is possible to observe boggy process reappear. The attempt was also made to find relationships between methane as well as carbon dioxide and habitat conditions.

Following parameters were measured: groundwater level, soil oxidation-reduction potential, soil moisture, cellulose decomposition rate, emissions of methane and carbon dioxide from soil surface [2, 4].

Groundwater level noted during research period was relatively high, it was also characterized by slightly marked seasonal dynamics. High water table level is undoubtedly connected with slowing down of rainwater outflow from the considered area.

After research, it may be stated that 10 years from the beginning of restoration it is impossible to undoubtedly observe all the symptoms of boggy process [4, 5]. The object studied needs further monitoring, however, several interesting observations, indicating positive changes, were made.

References Bartoszewski S., Burlikowska I., Kraczek J., Tittenbrun A. (1996). Changes in water conditions of southern part of Roztoczanski National Park and their restoration problems. Ann. UMCS, B, 51: 87-96 [in Polish]. Charman D. (2002). Peatlands and environmental change, 301 pp. John Wiley amp; Sons. Ilnicki P. (2002). Torfowiska i torf (Peatlands and peat), 606 pp. R Poznan. Tiner R. (1999). Wetland indicators. A guide to wetland indentification, delineation, classification, and mapping, 392 pp. Lewis Publishers. Richardson J. L. and Vepraskas M. J. (2001). Wetland soils. Genesis, hydrology, landscapes and classification, pp. 85-106. Lewis Publishers.