Sparsely vegetated or unvegetated surface

An example of bare peat surface. This area is a typical patch of a disturbed peat surface. On bare surfaces that are dryer, the first vegetation to colonize the area is often grasses. One must be cautious around bare patches like this one. They can be sinkholes.

Click on the picture to see a panorama view of a large parcel of land that was cleared in 1998. The land-owner intended to turn this piece of land into a cranberry farm. Three years after the clearing, little signs of life can be detected here, except for the sparse herbaceous pioneer plants. Stumps of dead trees can still be seen. It will probably take a very long time before the site turns back to its natural state.