Missen (singular:misse) are small, shallow, forestbogs inpine (Pinus sylvestris)-dominated woods that form oncrests,saddles,hollows orplateaus in the hills or mountains. They only have a thin layer ofpeat of between 30 and 100 centimetres thick. The termmisse is local to theNorthern Black Forest and also surfaces asMiß,Müsse orMüß. These names probably derive from the GermanMoos ("moss") becausepeat mosses (Sphagnum) play a key role in their development. Due to the poor tree growth associated with them, however, it could also stand formies ("bad").
Missen are most common on plateaus where the precipitation is heavy and the drainage is poor. But event silted-uptarns and shallow tarn soils may havemissen on their hillsides (Hillside or swamp bogs).Floristically and depending on location,missen may transition intoraised bogs, whereby ombrotrophes, i.e. areas exclusively fed by rainwater, (initially) are formed, albeit they only have a small surface area.
Missen are formed on base-poor soils that have a tendency to become waterlogged. In addition, other climatic factors such as high levels of precipitation, a relatively short vegetation period and a cool, moist, montane climate are basic pre-requisites. Human exploitation may also favour the emergence ofmissen. The introduction of stall feeding in the 19th century forced forest farmers to use the ground vegetation asbedding. On poorbunter sandstone soilsraw humus is laid down as a result of the constant removal of nutrients. Theblueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), an indicator of acidicism, becomes the dominant type of dwarf shrub.Moor grass (Molinia caerulea,M. arundinacea) colonises the shore areas in densetussocks.
