Webinar - Impacts on Peatland Functions in Western Boreal Canada: Fire and Thaw

Western Boreal Canada has widespread peatlands and represents a peatland region with several unique characteristics that will influence impacts of disturbances on important peatland functions. Of particular importance in western Canada are the individual and interactive effects of widespread stressors like wildfire, permafrost thaw, and human activities. In this presentation, Dr. Olefeldt (Assistant Professor and CAIP Research Chair in Wetland Restoration and Watershed Management, Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta) will present some of his recent and ongoing research. He will highlight research on how peatland fires affect permafrost stability, what the consequences of wildfire and permafrost thaw in peatlands are for the greenhouse gas exchange, and for downstream water quality. He will address some of the key challenges in scaling results from field studies to larger regional or pan-boreal scales. Lastly, he will discuss how we can learn from natural disturbances to better understand recovery and restoration of peatlands disturbed by human activities.