Experimental restoration of a fen plant community after peat mining

Abstract

Question: Which restoration measures (introduction of donor diaspore material, application of straw mulch, alteration of residual peat depths) contribute to the establishment of a fen plant community on minerotrophic surfaces after peat mining? Location: Rivière‐du‐Loup peatland, southern Québec, Canada at 100 m a.s.1. Methods: The effectiveness of introducing fen plants with the application of donor diaspore material was tested. The donor diaspore material, containing seeds, rhizomes, moss fragments, and other plant propagules, was collected from two different types of natural fens. We tested whether the application of straw mulch would increase fen species cover and biodiversity compared to control plots without straw mulch. Terrace levels of different peat depths (15 cm, 40 cm, and 56 cm) were created to test the effects of different environmental site conditions on the success of re‐vegetation. Results: Applying donor seed bank from natural fens was found to significantly increase fen plant cover and richness after the two growing seasons. Straw mulch proved to significantly increase fen plant richness. The intermediate terrace level (40 cm) had the highest fen plant establishment. Compared to reference sites, the low terrace level (15 cm) was richer in base cations, whereas the high terrace level (56 cm) was much drier. Conclusions: The application of donor diaspore material was demonstrated as an effective technique for establishing vascular fen plants. Further re wetting measures are considered necessary at the restoration site to create a fen ecosystem rather than simply restoring some fen species.

Ditch Restoration in a Large Northern Michigan Fen: Vegetation Response and Basic Porewater Chemistry

“…The rapid return of vegetative cover and plant species richness to levels approximating those in the adjacent, undisturbed fen (as observed in our study) runs contrary to many other peatland ditch restoration efforts (Van Duren et al 1997, Tuittila et al 2000, Cobbaert et al 2004, Jansen et al 2004, Van Dijk et al 2004, Graf et al 2008, Mälson et al 2008, Howie et al 2009, Miller 2011, Bellamy et al 2012). Most of these peatland restoration projects have taken place on previously mined or farmed sites, where little or no seed bank remained and the peat had dried completely.…”

“…In most peatland ditch restoration projects, long periods of time (often > 30 years) elapsed between ditch creation and restoration efforts (Schouwenaars 1988, Okrusczko 1995, Lode 1999, Cobbaert et al 2004, Holden et al 2004, Van Dijk et al 2004, Mälson et al 2008, Armstrong et al 2009, Howie et al 2009, Anshari et al 2010, Laine et al 2011, Hedberg et al 2012, Schimelpfenig et al 2014. This time lag allowed for most ditch spoils to decompose and subside to the point where there was no longer enough organic soil left to fill the ditches completely.…”

“…Previous studies found that the extreme temperature and moisture fluctuations on disturbed peat surfaces required mulch to retain moisture and mediate large temperature fluctuations (Campeau and Rochefort 1996, Lode 1999, Rochefort and Lode 2001, Cobbaert et al 2004, Jansen et al 2004, Mälson and Rydin 2007, Chimner 2011. Previous studies found that the extreme temperature and moisture fluctuations on disturbed peat surfaces required mulch to retain moisture and mediate large temperature fluctuations (Campeau and Rochefort 1996, Lode 1999, Rochefort and Lode 2001, Cobbaert et al 2004, Jansen et al 2004, Mälson and Rydin 2007, Chimner 2011.…”

Effects of natural resource development on the terrestrial biodiversity of Canadian boreal forests

“…Generally successful, these authors suggest that the eventual return to a pre-industrial state of fungal assemblages is unlikely without active measures such as artificial inoculation of mycorrhizal fungi species on seedlings (Trofymow and van den Driessche 1991) or transplantation of donor plant communities, soils, and the attendant soil biota (e.g., Cobbaert et al 2004). There is a general dearth of ecological studies on all groups of fungi and their interaction with other organisms within these newly created environments.…”

Carbon sink function of sedge and Sphagnum patches in a restored cut‐away peatland: increased functional diversity leads to higher production

“…2000). As the colonization of the key species is the limiting factor in the restoration (Salonen & Setälä 1992; Cobbaert, Rochefort & Price 2004), the process can be hastened by reintroduction or planting that can increase both the number of individuals and their coverage (Cobbaert et al . 2004).…”