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Abstract Detail



Ecological impacts and restoration of industrial sites: roles of bryophytes and graminoid vascular plants 

Rochefort, Line [1].

The moss layer transfer as an ecological restoration approach in degraded peatlands.

The moss layer transfer approach as an ecological restoration method has been used extensively to rehabilitate peatlands that have been degraded by commercial peat extraction. The restoration method has largely been successful for the rehabilitation of Sphagnum-dominated peatland where organic soil has been extracted to produce horticultural growing substrates. Indeed the monitoring of 246 permanent plots across eastern Canada over 53 restoration projects revealed that 76% of all plots were deemed to be on a good trajectory towards peatland ecosystems. This moss layer transfer restoration method is now being tested in other types of disturbances: for bogs impacted by temporary road under power line or treed poor fens impacted by the needs of mineral oil pads to support in-situ oil sands extraction. Preliminary restoration approaches and results will be presented. For past ten years our laboratory has given more attention to the restoration of minerotrophic peatlands (fens) after post-industrial disturbances. Our first trials revealed that brown mosses (Tomenthypnum nitens, Campillium stellatum and Scorpidium cossinii) can established and colonized successfully when manipulated with care by hand (small scale level) but they are harshly impacted when manipulated and reintroduced mechanically on a large scale basis (in the order of the ha) and so far no good establishment is achieved towards the restoration of a brown moss carpet typical of fens. Discussions on the way forward will be welcome.


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1 - Laval University, Centre for Northern Studies, Department of plant sciences, 2425, rue de l'Agriculture, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada

Keywords:
restoration ecology
peat moss
bog
fen
peatlands.

Presentation Type: Symposium Presentation
Session: SY07
Location: Hall C/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Tuesday, July 28th, 2015
Time: 10:15 AM
Number: SY07006
Abstract ID:452
Candidate for Awards:None


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