Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a 20-Year-Old Restored Peatland

Peatlands are ecosystems with unique hydrological and ecological properties that serve as critical carbon reservoirs, helping facilitate the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG). In Canada, the peat industry uses vacuum harvesting to extract peat for horticultural use. This disturbs the natural ecosystem, increasing CO2 and decreasing CH4 emissions due to complete removal of surface vegetation and lowering of the water table. Following years of extraction, if these peatlands are not properly restored, GHG emissions will increase, negatively impacting the climate. The moss layer transfer technique (MLTT) is the primary method for restoring peatlands in Canada. The MLTT allows peatlands to regain their natural ecosystem function and to reaccumulate peat. This is done by revegetation of key species including sphagnum moss, and rewetting of the peatland through the blockage of drainage ditches. My research project investigates a peatland in Pointe-Lebel, Quebec restored in 2004 using MLTT following vacuum extraction. I used the closed chamber method to measure the CO2 and CH4 exchanges at the plant community scale and three repetitions of each of moss, shrubs, and cotton grass communities were followed throughout the summer. Wells at each collar provided the water table depth; a controlling variable for GHG fluxes. I conducted a vegetation survey at peak plant productivity to characterize the proportions of the plant communities and to allow chamber measurements of GHG to be scaled by the contribution of each plant community. If successful, a restored peatland will be a net sink of carbon. Preliminary data analysis at this 20-year-old restored site indicates a net CO2 sink during the summer of 2024. My data also suggests that the site is a small source of CH4. The results from my project will aid in advancing research on peatlands, stressing the importance of taking the proper steps towards restoration.