Chat Moss it for agriculture. About of degraded bog remain, with of undamaged peat deposits in four former peat extraction sites. The peat varies in depth between and . The main bog mosses found in the peat of Chat Moss are "Sphagnum cuspidatum", "S. imbricatum", and "S. acutifolia". The peat up to about from the surface is mainly humidified "S. acutifolia", with fresher "S. imbricatum" peat nearer the surface. A area of Chat Moss, to the north of the Liverpool–Manchester railway line, notified as Astley & Bedford Mosses, was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1989. Astley & Bedford Mosses,
Sphagnum palustre light brown with stem diameters of 0.6 to 1.2 millimeters. The epidermis (Hyalodermis) of the stem is built in three layers and their cells form 1 to 3 seldom more pores and contain much spiral fibers. The branches are tufted forming clusters of three to six on the little stems. The heads are a little more pigmented and egg-shaped. "Sphagnum palustre" plants are spread across the whole of Europe and also can be found in parts of America, Australia and New Zealand. It is comparatively frequent and grows on moist and wet habitats like wet forests, often coniferous forests, on