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Abstract Detail



Ecological Section

Lefebvre-Ruel, Stéphanie [1], Jutras, Sylvain [1], Rochefort, Line [2].

Edges of ecological restoration projects: the case of peatlands.

Ecological restoration of peatlands after peat extraction is now a current practice for peat industries in Canada. Restoration efforts used to be restricted to peat extracted sectors but do not address the perimeter of these sites where some major perturbations might remain. This project aims to characterize the artificial transitions of vegetation, soil and hydrology found between industrial peat extraction sites and their adjacent unextracted sectors. The second objective is to test and suggest restoration actions to restore the eco-hydrological connectivity along theses borders. The methodology of this study will be based on the simultaneous inventory of the vegetation (trees, shrubs and mosses) and the soil-water characteristics (topography, water-table depth) along three industrial peatlands perimeters (one fen and two bogs) located between Rivière-du-Loup and Rimouski, Quebec. These artificial transitions will be compared to reference vegetation gradients found in pristine peatlands located in the same region.
Preliminary results show that tree density is higher close to the border of the adjacent unextracted sites than in reference sites. This observation is probably linked to the lower water-table level found in the steep topographic transition remaining along the site borders. Thus, a selective tree cutting followed by the gradual leveling of the soil within the first 5 m of the unextracted sites have been the two steps in the experimental managements that have been tested (winter 2015). Using a water-table level monitoring (summer 2015), it will be possible to see if those experiments favour the return of a natural eco-hydrological gradient of connectivity along industrial peatlands perimeters in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region.


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1 - Laval University, Woods and Forests Department, 2405, rue de la Terrasse, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
2 - Laval University, Centre for Northern Studies, Department of plant sciences, 2425, rue de l'Agriculture, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada

Keywords:
Peatland
restoration
eco-hydrology
connectivity
border.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Hall D/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PEC004
Abstract ID:614
Candidate for Awards:Ecological Section Best Undergraduate Presentation Award


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