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,
Portlethen Moss saturated organic layers could actually rupture, spilling large volumes of mud and organic debris to surrounding fields, thus enabling a bed for further spatial expansion of the entire bog. Ultimately the colour of the moss waters became blood red in colour, from the successive organic decay and stagnation. Only in times associated with cattle grazing and significant human presence (probably the late Iron Age), would this process reverse and the bog reduce in size. A wide variety of sphagnum, sedges, rushes and other characteristic bog species inhabit Portlethen Moss. Sometimes insectivorous plants reside in mosses, since the soils are generally