Study

Controls on plot-scale growing season CO2 and CH4 fluxes in restored peatlands: do they differ from unrestored and natural sites?

  • Published source details Strack M., Cagampan J., Hassanpour Fard G., Keith A.M., Nugent K., Rankin T., Robinson C. & Strachan I.B. (2016) Controls on plot-scale growing season CO2 and CH4 fluxes in restored peatlands: do they differ from unrestored and natural sites?. Mires and Peat, 17, Article-5.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Restore/create peatland vegetation (multiple interventions)

Action Link
Peatland Conservation
  1. Restore/create peatland vegetation (multiple interventions)

    A replicated, paired, controlled, before-and-after, site comparison study in five historically mined peatlands in Canada (Strack et al. 2016) found that restoration by multiple interventions increased cover of mosses, grass-like plants and vascular plants, but not shrubs. Restored and unrestored plots were initially bare peat. After 1–15 years, restored sites had significantly greater cover than unrestored sites of mosses (38 vs 3%), grass-like plants (22 vs 5%) and total vascular plants (33 vs 11%), but there was no significant difference in shrub cover (9 vs 3%). Relative to natural, undisturbed sites, restored sites had lower cover of mosses (38 vs 77%), shrubs (9 vs 27%) and total vascular plants (33 vs 44%), but higher cover of grass-like plants (22 vs 3%). Five degraded peatlands were restored (dates unclear) using a mixture of techniques. All received fresh vegetation fragments from the surface of natural peatlands and were mulched with straw. Some sites were levelled, rewetted and/or fertilized. Summer vegetation cover was estimated in restored sites after 1–15 years. For each restored site, vegetation cover of a natural peatland was estimated either before restoration or in separate untreated areas after restoration.

    (Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)

Output references
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