Examining drivers of post-fire seismic line ecotone regeneration in a boreal peatland environment

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dc.contributor.authorEnayetullah, Humaira
dc.contributor.authorChasmer, Laura
dc.contributor.authorHopkinson, Christopher
dc.contributor.authorThompson, Daniel
dc.contributor.authorCobbaert, Danielle
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-20T18:53:49Z
dc.date.available2024-08-20T18:53:49Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.descriptionOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0) applies
dc.description.abstractSeismic lines are the dominant anthropogenic disturbance in the boreal forest of the Canadian province of Alberta, fragmenting over 1900 km2 of peatland areas and accounting for more than 80% of all anthropogenic disturbance in this region. The goal of this study is to determine whether the wildland fires that burn across seismic lines in peatlands result in the regeneration of woody vegetation within the ecotonal areas adjacent to seismic lines. We use a combination of seismic line and vegetation structural characteristics derived from multi-spectral airborne lidar across a post-fire peatland chronosequence. We found an increasing encroachment of shrubs and trees into seismic lines after many years since a fire, especially in fens, relative to unburned peatlands. Fens typically had shorter woody vegetation regeneration (average = 3.3 m ± 0.9 m, standard deviation) adjacent to seismic lines compared to bogs (average = 3.8 m ± 1.0 m, standard deviation), despite enhanced shrubification closer to seismic lines. The incoming solar radiation and seismic line age since the establishment of seismic line(s) were the factors most strongly correlated with enhanced shrubification, suggesting that the increased light and time since a disturbance are driving these vegetation changes. Shrub encroachment closer to seismic lines tends to occur within fens, indicating that these may be more sensitive to drying conditions and vegetation regeneration after several years post-fire/post-seismic line disturbance.
dc.description.peer-reviewYes
dc.identifier.citationEnayetullah, H., Chasmer, L., Hopkinson, C., Thompson, D., & Cobbaert, D. (2023). Examining drivers of post-fire seismic line ecotone regeneration in a boreal peatland environment. Forests, 14(10), Article 1479. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14101979
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/6870
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Geography and Environment
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridge
dc.publisher.institutionGreat Lakes Forestry Centre
dc.publisher.institutionAlberta Environment and Protected Areas, Edmonton
dc.publisher.urlhttps://doi.org/10.3390/f14101979
dc.subjectLinear disturbances
dc.subjectVegetation succession
dc.subjectRemote sensing
dc.subjectCumulative impacts
dc.subjectWildland fires
dc.subjectSeismic lines
dc.subjectVegetation regeneration
dc.subject.lcshPeatlands--Alberta
dc.subject.lcshTaigas--Alberta
dc.subject.lcshWildfires--Alberta
dc.titleExamining drivers of post-fire seismic line ecotone regeneration in a boreal peatland environment
dc.typeArticle
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