Sphagnum moss is highly absorbent that can hold up to 20 times its weight in water.
It is widely used in horticulture as a soil conditioner and for growing orchids, and terrariums, as well as for lining hanging baskets.
In Victoria, it was once harvested from State forests, mostly in the Central Highlands.
At East Warburton in the 1970s, Stan Storrie was a careful harvester of moss.
He was able to harvest the moss repeatedly, and he never removed it all, but carefully left a healthy sward to thicken up again.
He would bring his harvest past the FCV East Warburton Office. A paper trail was established and royalty paid.
However, the moss sold commercially in Australian garden centres is now typically farmed and imported from New Zealand.
Photos: Gregor Wallace – 1973.
Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage 