In North America, it occurs across southern arctic,[2] subboreal,[3] and boreal[4] regions from Alaska and British Columbia to Greenland and Quebec.

In forests, ribbed bog moss grows in the ground layer of boreal and subboreal white spruce (Picea glauca), black spruce (P. mariana), mixed spruce-tamarack (Larix laricina), and jack pine (Pinus banksiana) fens and bogs of Alaska, Minnesota, and Canada and in boreal spruce-birch (Betula spp.)

In the Pacific Northwest ribbed bog moss occurs in alpine, subalpine, wet and dry coniferous forest, and open peatland communities.

Because ribbed bog moss lacks vascular tissue, water uptake occurs by osmosis and capillary action.

Mature and immature antheridia are intermixed on individual male shoots; therefore, sperm cells on the same stem do not all develop at the same time.

On the Boreal Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Sites study area in Saskatchewan, ribbed bog moss had a negative mean annual growth rate in a drought year (2003).

It was, for example, 1 of 6 mosses having broad ecological amplitude in a survey of bryophyte habitats on peatlands across Alberta's Mackenzie River basin.

Ribbed bog moss tolerates a wide range of moisture levels, substrates, nutrient loads, terrain, and climates.

In subalpine fir forests of central Idaho, ribbed bog moss occurs on seeps and springs that remain moist throughout the fire season.

In a geothermal meadow in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, ribbed bog moss occurred on sites with high local humidity (31-66%) due to nearby thermal pools.

It dominates relatively dry, shaded microsites in the area; the water table is 20 to 26 inches (50–65 cm) below ground, and there is 30% to 60% black spruce and/or tamarack cover.

Studies on peatlands in Quebec showed ribbed bog moss "preferred sites with high organic matter depth" (P<0.01).

In northern British Columbia, ribbed bog moss substrates included disturbed forest floors, logs, and stumps at 44%, 13%, and 3% frequencies, respectively.

Ribbed bog moss showed broad substrate tolerances in a greenhouse common pot study in Scotland.

A survey of bryophytes on peatlands across Alberta's Mackenzie River basin found ribbed bog moss was abundant on sites ranging from 4.5 to 7.5 in pH.

In a peat-core study in central Alberta, macrofossil ribbed bog moss was an indicator species of moderate-rich fens; ribbed bog moss occurred most often on mires that were moderately acidic (x pH=6.0) and had low electrical conductivity (x=125 μS/cm) and moderately high water tables (x= 8.7 inches (22 cm) deep).

Field observations and laboratory experiments suggest that ribbed bog moss has broad tolerance and may be relatively insensitive to macronutrient concentrations.

Site geology, including topography, bedrock composition, catchment hydrology, and basin bathymetry, affects wetland drainage and partially controls rates of transition from open water to bog.

In British Columbia and Alberta, ribbed bog moss often dominates hummock tops that are surrounded by sphagnum peatlands.

Although ribbed bog moss generally attains greatest coverage on hummock tops, it sometimes forms lawns and strings in low areas.

In Labrador, tufted bulrush-mountain fly honeysuckle/ribbed bog moss associations occur on low strings of consolidated peat and on elevated peatlands.

In Kluane National Park, Yukon, the white spruce/ribbed bog moss forest community occurs on poorly drained east- and north-facing slopes.

In subalpine and alpine communities of the North Cascade Range in Washington and British Columbia, ribbed bog moss occurs on high-elevation (>7,380 feet (2,250 m)) sites that remain snow-free most of the year.

Ribbed bog moss occurs in arctic, subarctic, boreal, and subboreal zones with cold meso-thermal, oceanic, continental, or cold-humid climates.

A survey of bryophytes on peatlands across Alberta's Mackenzie River basin found optimal ribbed bog moss growth occurred on sites with annual temperatures ranging from 20 to 32 °F (-4 to 0 °C).

In a geothermal meadow on Queen Charlotte Island, British Columbia, ribbed bog moss was absent from sites where nearby thermal pools raised local soil temperatures above 86 °F (30 °C).

Mosses in general are low in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats compared to vascular plants, and animals seldom graze them.

Northern mires provide habitat for a variety of invertebrates including worms, crustaceans, arachnids, and insects, particularly mosquitoes, midges, and other flies.

In Minnesota, moss plugs used in restoration projects on old peat mines are harvested from nearby unmined sites in spring, before the ground thaws.

Foote classified ribbed bog moss communities along the Alaskan Highway in Yukon as having "high site sensitivity", with moderate potential for erosion.