Research

The scientific objectives of the BBECA Management Plan are: “to return Burns Bog to an ecological condition shaped by raised bog processes, buffered from disruptive or disturbing processes on the adjacent landscape, over a timeframe of 100 years. Achieve this ecological condition by maintaining characteristic ecological processes, structure and biota interacting over time, while recognizing the directional forces of urbanization, adjacent land uses and climate change.”

Ongoing research consists of a number of scientific studies which provide information critical for effective management of the bog resources to realize these goals and consists of both monitoring and research components.

 

In 2011, a Scientific Research Strategy was created that identified monitoring and research priorities critical to understanding bog function and how to support and restore this function where it is impaired. Current priorities include:

  • understanding hydrological conditions necessary for the support of the bog ecosystem and how to maintain these where they are suboptimal,
  • understanding and creating conditions through experimentation that result in the development of the peripheral lagg area that is critical in buffering the bog from external influences, and
  • evaluating ecological and vegetation responses to ditch blocking and the effects of wildfires. 

In 2014, a collaborative research program on greenhouse gas exchange at the Conservancy Area began in conjunction with the UBC Department of Geography Micrometeorological Lab. The focus of this research is on how land management practices affect carbon cycles in the bog. Current studies are examining the effect of restoration activities on carbon absorption and emissions. 

Check out the document gallery for a list of research articles about Burns Bog.