Sphagnum moss - Sustainable management practices

Sphagnum Moss Suppliers, Sphagnum Moss Traders, Sphagnum Moss Wholesalers, Sphagnum Moss Exporters - Moutere River Company Ltd, New Zealand.

New Zealand - Sphagnum moss

The sphagnum moss that is produced for export from New Zealand is mostly from privately owned land. Sphagnum moss is harvested from existing swamps that cover an area from Karamea on the north west coast of the South Island to Haast in the top of the southern area of the South Island with isolated pockets of sphagnum moss in other areas outside this region. This sphagnum moss harvesting area covers approximately 1,300,000 hectares (3,212,300 acres). In the past it was quite common for swamp areas where sphagnum moss grew to be dug and channelled to allow the land to be put to productive use. Moss Swamp:

With the onset of demand for New Zealand sphagnum moss for use in horticultural production, it became clear that there was potential for leaving the swamps to regenerate after harvesting of the sphagnum moss. This typically takes 3-5 years. Today there are swamps from which sphagnum moss is harvested that have been harvested twice before. The rate of regeneration of sphagnum moss is dependant upon the degree of removal of sphagnum moss. Pickers of sphagnum moss will leave approximately 10-20% of the shorter strands of sphagnum moss in the swamp and over the years this will regenerate to the point where it will again be viable for harvesting. Through a process of trial and error, the pickers have learned that to completely remove all sphagnum moss from a swamp, allows exotic species of weeds to take root and inhabit the areas. With demand for New Zealand sphagnum moss now quite considerable, and with every conceivable swamp having been located, the necessity to encourage the regeneration of sphagnum moss is paramount. Therefore, by the simple process of market forces, supply and demand, the swamp areas are being maintained, as near as can be determined, in their original state. There are sphagnum moss swamps owned by the state organisation, the Department of Conservation, some of which have been leased out for sphagnum moss harvesting and others that have never been and never will be touched. On top of this there are two national parks at either end of the South Island covering a total area of over 1,689,000 hectares (4,173,519 acres) that cannot be accessed for sphagnum moss harvesting of any kind. It is unknown how much of that area is in sphagnum moss swamp but it would be at least the same again as existing commercial sphagnum moss swamps.

All harvesting of sphagnum moss is done by hand as any machinery would damage the existing swamp. Harvested bags of wet sphagnum moss are either carried out by hand or flown out of the swamps by helicopter to waiting trucks on nearby roads. The sphagnum moss is then dried in tunnel houses constructed of plastic covered hoops. This gives maximum heat from the sun as well as wind to dry the sphagnum moss to the necessary moisture level to be ready for sorting and cleaning before being compressed into packs for export. Almost all New Zealand sphagnum moss packing factories are certified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to ensure the sphagnum moss is free from insects, pests and diseases.

There are no regulatory authorities governing the extraction of sphagnum moss from private land or from land owned by the state designated for sphagnum moss harvesting. There is a, however, a Sphagnum Moss Packers Association which is an informal group that meets every two months to discuss the state of the industry and whose object is;

"To promote membership of a cohesive group of moss exporters fostering communication on quality grades and standards; to establish and promote a brand image; to develop trust within the association and industry for its sustainability, and to create a forum for discussion of topics current and future related to the industry."

Chile - Sphagnum moss

All the sphagnum moss harvested in Chile comes from privately owned land. In much the same way as the New Zealand sphagnum moss harvesting areas, much of the land that would originally have been sphagnum moss swamp land has been dug and channelled to create productive farming land. The isolated pockets of sphagnum moss swamp around the areas of Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas and the island of Chiloe are harvested using the knowledge gained from the sphagnum moss industry of New Zealand. Most of the sphagnum moss exporters in Chile have affiliations with New Zealand sphagnum moss exporters who have imparted their knowledge and skills to ensure the sustainability of the sphagnum moss from Chile. It appears that the sphagnum moss swamps in Chile re-grow very well with regenerating swamps only three years old yielding excellent quality sphagnum moss. As in New Zealand, there are no regulatory authorities governing the extraction of sphagnum moss from private land, but the market forces will determine that only sustainable management of the sphagnum moss resource can provide the returns necessary for successful business. Chile does not employ helicopters to extract sphagnum moss from swamps, instead using more traditional methods such as bullocks and carts. The sphagnum moss is transported to the drying areas where the same controls for cleanliness and quality of sphagnum moss product as used in New Zealand are employed. The sphagnum moss is inspected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for phytosanitary certification (pests and diseases) prior to export.