Brabant extraction of raised bogs and heaths

The most important characteristic of raised peat is that it was created under the influence of rainwater, so-called ombrogenic peat. It is always oligotrophic. The main component is sphagnum moss (Sphagnum), which can absorb large amounts of water and consist of more than 90 percent water when swollen. Heide is a name for vegetation consisting mainly of dwarf shrubs from the Hei- and Kraaiheide family. Heath occurs in a limited number of countries. Not only in the Netherlands and Flanders, but also in the coastal strip of Western Europe, Great Britain and Ireland. It is a typical vegetation that feels at home in regions with high humidity, not too hot summers and no harsh winters. The natural distribution of heath vegetation consists of low-calcareous areas near the sea (dunes) and mountains above the tree line. The heathland in the interior is a cultural landscape created by extracting nutrients through grazing and taping of sandy soils.

Pieter Erauw