How did blanket bog form?

In parts of Europe at least, it is likely that blanket bogs formed due to a combination of a wetter climate that resulted in increased water logging and leaching of soils that encouraged bog mosses to develop, and forest clearance by man. The removal of trees would have further increased water logging, making the area less suitable for trees, and further encouraging the bog mosses. Bog moss dominance and the resultant high water content of the soil would have reduced pH, slowed decomposition of organic matter, and encouraged peat formation. Most blanket bog formation began between 5000 and 6000 years ago, though some may have begun as much as 9000, or as recently as 1500 years ago