Identifying the Impact of Seismic Line Restoration on Carbon Management in Northern British Columbia

Abstract

Peatlands store approximately one third of the global soil carbon pool and Canada is home to 170 million hectares of peatlands. Through oil and gas exploration peatlands often become disturbed by seismic line creation. Seismic lines are linear disturbances formed in grid-like patterns and spanning millions of kilometers in western Canada, including northeastern British Columbia. Loss of overstory trees, soil disturbance, and changes in local hydrological conditions on seismic lines often alter a peatland’s innate ability to store carbon. Until recently the primary factor for seismic line restoration was prey - predator relations as this network of disturbance has been linked to declining woodland caribou populations. In recent years. more weight has been placed on restoring these disturbances with interest in returning the rate of natural carbon storage. Seismic lines can be restored through active treatment using techniques such as inline mounding and hummock transfer that aim to create drier microsites where trees can be established, but their effect on peatland carbon cycling remains unclear. Therefore, the objectives of this study is to: (1) determine the effect of restoration with different techniques such as inline mounding and hummock transfer on peatland seismic lines’ carbon cycling and greenhouse gas exchange and (2) determine the effect of seasonal timing of restoration (fall vs. winter) on carbon cycling and sequestration. The study was conducted in collaboration with Fort Nelson First Nation in bogs in northeastern British Columbia. Preliminary results indicate that the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 increases following restoration regardless of technique and both techniques trend towards carbon uptake as time goes on. This study will inform operators and government about which forms of active treatment are the most effective in returning peatland carbon dynamics.