Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

Swamp wetlands are the second most abundant wetland class in Canada and play a crucial but overlooked role in the global carbon cycle as peat-forming swamps can sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide and act as carbon sinks. However, swamp wetlands are severely under-studied and misclassified due to their complex hydrology and vegetation. Swamps have been heavily modified by human activities and are further threatened by climate change and land-use changes. Understanding the forms and functions of swamps is currently a significant challenge for scientists and regulators, making it challenging to establish best practices to restore these important ecosystems. This knowledge gap is concerning because many boreal wetlands, including swamps, have already been disturbed or lost due to human activities such as agriculture, forestry, and oil and gas development. In Alberta alone, over two-thirds of wetlands in settled areas have been lost. Currently, the Government of Alberta requires all sites impacted by oil sands development to be reclaimed to pre-disturbed conditions as closely as possible. In 2020, the Wetland Replacement Program (WRP) was established to conserve, protect, and restore wetlands in high-loss areas. This project is unique under WRP as one of the first swamp restorations of an in-situ oil and gas well pad. The initiative is a collaboration between the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)’s Centre for Boreal Research, the University of Waterloo, the University of Plymouth, and our two partners: the Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (EPA), and the Lesser Slave Watershed Council (LSWC). In this study, we will select a series of treed and shrub swamp sites in central Alberta to study their hydrology, biogeochemistry, and vegetation. These sites will serve as a reference to assess the onsite conditions of a restored well pad in a treed swamp near Slave Lake, AB, and to monitor the early development (up to three years post-restoration) of a treed swamp vegetation community through stock planting and moss donor transfer. Conserving wetlands has immense environmental and social benefits as wetlands provide services like flood regulation, water and food supply, wildlife habitat, and climate mitigation. The economic benefits include creating economic incentives for industry and government to invest in wetland restoration, leading to business and employment opportunities in Alberta and Canada.