Inside Canada’s 2025 Peat Harvest: Regional Results and Supply Outlook
In this three part series, Greenhouse Grower Content Specialist Marisa Reyes talks with Asha Hingorani, President of the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA), along with Stéphanie Boudreau, Vice President of Science and Research Partnerships, and Charleen McCartney, Communication Coordinator, about how the industry is balancing responsible peat extraction, long-term restoration, and science-based communication for generations to come.
(L to R) Asha Hingorani, Charleen McCartney, and Stéphanie Boudreau. | Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA)
Production & Volumes
Marisa Reyes: What did the 2025 peat harvest look like across Canada?
Asha Hingorani: Overall, the 2025 results show that some regions reached their expected levels while others did not due to the challenges of rainy weather at the start of the season and sustained wildfire conditions. Approximately 400 to 450 million cubic feet have been extracted. This is average for most recent extraction seasons, with some being a bit lower and some being higher.
Marisa Reyes: Which regions saw the biggest gains or experienced the greatest challenges this year? Did climate or weather extremes significantly impact yield?
Asha Hingorani: Peat is extracted best in dryer conditions. Early in the season, we saw a lot of rain in Québec’s South and North Shore regions. This rain delayed the extraction for a few weeks. The August wildfire season and the closure of Crown land limited extraction days in much of New Brunswick towards the end of the season. Extraction continued well into the fall in the western provinces, as it was dry and ideal conditions.
Regional Extraction Summary – 2025 Season
- Manitoba: 109% (above target)
- Saskatchewan: 73% (below; record heat/dry conditions; wildfire regulations)
- Alberta: 87% (below; heat/dry conditions; wildfire regulations)
- Québec South: 74% (below; rain delayed start)
- Québec North: 82% (below; rain delayed start)
- Ontario: 91% (below; extraction levels almost reached expectation)
- New Brunswick North: 74% (below; August wildfires/Crown land closures)
- New Brunswick South: 94% (below; same constraints)
- Nova Scotia / PEI / Newfoundland: 65% (rain + wildfire impacts; improved by August)
Marisa Reyes: What is your estimate for peat inventory/carryover heading into the next season?
Asha Hingorani: With two fair extraction seasons in 2024 and in 2025, peat producers are confident that they’ll be able to meet customers’ needs.
Market Trends & Demand
Marisa Reyes: What is the demand outlook for horticultural peat — both domestically in Canada and for export to the U.S. and other markets?
Charleen McCartney: The demand for horticultural peat is expected to rise significantly in the coming decades. Research from Wageningen University predicts a 200% increase between 2017 and 2050, driven by growing consumption of fruits and vegetables, expansion of green infrastructure such as urban landscaping and green walls, and increased afforestation and reforestation efforts to address climate change.
Peat is an essential component of high-performance growing media, often blended with alternative materials to optimize productivity and reduce environmental impact. While alternatives are useful, peat remains a critical enabler because it improves water retention, nutrient management, and overall efficiency in growing media mixes.
Domestically, demand continues to grow in Canada to support both commercial agriculture and consumer gardening. Export demand, particularly to the U.S. and other international markets, remains strong, as North American growers rely on Canadian peat for consistent quality and performance.
The Canadian industry emphasizes responsible growth through the principle of Wise Use, ensuring peat is managed sustainably to meet current demand while preserving peatland ecosystem functions, including water regulation and carbon storage, for future generations.
Cost, Infrastructure & Risk
Marisa Reyes: Are your members investing in new infrastructure, machinery, or technology to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact?
Asha Hingorani: Yes, peat producers across Canada are investing in new infrastructure, eco-friendly technologies to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact. This includes innovative new ways of extracting peat or new scientific practices to monitor greenhouse gas emissions.
Marisa Reyes: What risks or uncertainties do you see for the peat industry looking forward?
Charleen McCartney: Misinformation about peat in the media or other stakeholders is always a concern. The CSPMA and its members are always working to bust the myths by ensuring that science-based facts are the most up-to-date and are accessible.
The redesign of peatmoss.com is intended to serve as a hub of information, and the hope is that anyone looking for information about the peat or facts about the industry’s responsible management will do their research and quote the correct data on the topics.
Outlook & Challenges
Marisa Reyes: What do you foresee as the biggest challenges and opportunities for the Canadian peat industry over the next 5 to 10 years?
Asha Hingorani: The biggest challenges are the changing climate and misinformation. For example, this year the Baltics had a very rainy season, and this impacted their ability to meet the targeted production levels. Each year, the climate conditions are unknown, and like any agricultural good, the yield is dependent on good and ideal conditions.
Another major challenge is misinformation and the continuous spread of the peat industry in North America. It’s critical that the industry works to help bust these myths, and the best way to do this is continued investment in academic research to ensure we are spreading the science-based facts, as we’ve been doing over the last 35 years.
Regarding opportunity, the Canadian peat industry is a true success story. A story that embodies and values academic-industry partnerships, values our rural communities across Canada, and demonstrates environmental stewardship of the land when it comes to responsibly managing our peatlands. The opportunity is that Canadians/North Americans understand and value the Canadian peat story and recognize the industry is working to ensure it’s around for generations to come and can demonstrate environmental stewardship and responsible resource development that meet the needs of food security and well-being across North America.
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