The white sphagnum grows in the arctic tundra in a thin 2 inch veneer on top of a 1 or 2 inch veneer of soil and debris that rests on the permafrost. When the white sphagnum is strip-mined it takes decades for it to rejuvenate in the void area. Meanwhile, the Caribou die of starvation. This is in contrast to the dark sphagnum harvested for nursery applications: it grows in several meter deep subarctic bogs and rejuvenates each year.
Here's the situation up close. I took this photo about 1/2 mile east of Wonder Lake, Alaska. Everything you see here is growing in a 1-inch veneer of "soil" on top of the permafrost. The white sphagnum moss is the basic fabric of the tundra. For scale, the white-cupped flowers are about 3/4 inch across. The red berries are cranberries.
