%0 Research Notes
%T History of the utilization of peatlands in Europe with spe­cial reference to Germany
%A Lüttig, Gerd
%D 1989
%J Suo - Mires and peat
%V 40
%N 5
%U http://suo.fi/article/9668
%X From pre-christian times peatland-use and attitudes towards peatlands in Germany have changed to a great extent. Agricultural use of the inhospitable peat bog terrain only developed after the fertile soil regions had been conquered in the so-called struggle for food production. Use for fuel production never reached the amount of peatland used for agriculture, and with the use of peat as a horticultural ameliorator at the beginning of this century, only a small portion of the peat area has been touched and is not larger than the area under nature conservation. With these changes, attitudes about the associated environmental impact have shifted enormously at the same time.

Key words: Agriculture, historical review, horticulture, mire utilization