Demand has increased, mainly in exports of peat forhorticultural use, which rose by 13 percent in the same period. There has been a shift in peat harvest in recent years, from fuel peat to horticultural peat. Horticultural peat is mainly used in gardening, forestry, and stables.

Harvest of fuel peat decreased

In 2020, the harvesting of fuel peat decreased by 45 percent, from 1.3 million cubic metres to 0.7 million cubic metres. This decrease is due to falling demand in recent years, in part because of the evolution of prices on emission allowances. The use of fuel peat decreased by about 50 percent between 2019 and 2020.

Emissions from peat combustion decreased sharply

In the period from 2008 to 2019, combustion from fuel peat dropped sharply. Greenhouse gases decreased by 73 percent, sulphur oxides decreased by 81 percent, and nitrogen oxides decreased by 74 percent. This decrease was in part due to a drop in peat combustion as well as changes in emission coefficients.