Faddan More Psalter used as a liner to stiffen the cover somewhat. Low oxygen levels in the bog provide unusual preservation conditions, and bogs were often used by Irish monks as hiding places for valuables in the face of Viking raids. In addition to low oxygen levels, sphagnum moss, of which the peat bog is composed, produces an antibiotic substance called sphagnan that binds with proteins on the surface of microorganisms, immobilising them. Its highly reactive carbonyl groups can alter chemicals and nutrients that would otherwise decompose organic matter. And above all the sphagnum moss causes organic material to undergo chemical changes itself
Sphagnum fuscum Endangered species lists within some German states. Switzerland has labelled "S. fuscum" as vulnerable. In the United States, "S. fuscum" is reported to be at risk in the state of North Carolina. Across Europe, "S. fuscum’s" habitats are under protection. Germany and Switzerland have both placed the moss under “special protection.” This species is associated with "Sphagnum angustifolium", "S. fallax", "S. magellanicum", "S. papillosum", more infrequently with "S. teres", and "S. warnstorfii" in richer sites. "Sphagnum fuscum" is easily discernible from other species of Sphagnum, as it tends to be reddish brown in color, and is more likely to form