Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Tb175: A Numerical Method And Supporting Database For Evaluation Of Maine Peatlands As Candidtate Natural Areas, Ronald B. Davis, Dennis S. Anderson

Technical Bulletins

In Maine, non-tidal peatlands comprise the last major terrestrial ecosystem group remaining largely undisturbed by humans, and for which there still exists a full range of options for protection in near-pristine condition. To make the best choices of areas to protect, ecologically based prioritization of candidate natural areas is needed. This technical bulletin presents a quantitative method of evaluation of the natural features of peatlands—providing the fundamental tool for establishing peatland protection priorities. We apply the method to the evaluation of 76 Maine peatlands representing all the morphologic/hydrologic peatland types in the biophysical regions of the state.