I used to live in peat country in western Maryland. I can answer a few of those.


How is a peat bog identified?

I don't know if there is an official way they do it, but they're pretty easy to spot. There are certain kinds of plants that grow in them, they will be very wet, if you step in them, the water that comes up looks like iced tea, if there is any running water through them, it looks like iced tea, if you dig down below the plants, you'll find peat.

How deep is the peat body? Six inches? Eighteen inches?

I'm guessing this would depend on the bog, and a number of different factors. Like, how old is the bog? That would effect how long the material would have been collecting in it, and hence, how deep it is.


Do private people go out and 'gather' peat or is there a protected industry?

They used to in western Maryland, but I don't know if they still do.


Southeast Alaska has a great deal of muskeg, marshes where the water table is at the surface or slightly above. Would peat be found there?

My guess would be yes, but I'm not an expert. What color is the water in them?