Burns Bog revitalization may have helped curb blaze
Peat bogs more efficient than rain forests at absorbing C02, says professor
Burns Bog, the nature conservancy now ablaze southeast of Vancouver, has been called the lungs of B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
The spongy moss blanketing the bog's peatlands in the 3,000-hectare conservation area acts as some of the world's most efficient carbon dioxide absorbers.
It's also great at resisting fire, said Mike Waddington, a professor in McMaster University's school of geography and earth sciences.
Community efforts more than a decade ago to save and restore the beloved bog likely left it healthier and better able to resist a wildfire, experts say.
"Peat bogs store a lot of carbon," Waddington said.
"Because they're wet and generally quite cool. they can store a lot, take a lot of C02 from the atmosphere."
The key ingredient is the thick, moist sphagnum moss, which blankets the peat.
"There is actually more carbon stored in sphagnum moss than any other species, more than the rain forest," Waddington said.
"Peatlands globally are really important for that."
The moss is also great at resisting fire, Waddington said, making fires much easier to put fires out.
Bogs as fire barriers
In a research paper published last month, Waddington argued that bogs that had been drained are vulnerable to catastrophic deep burns that can last for months.
The paper, published in Nature Scientific Reports, said that peat bogs can act as fire barriers and mitigate wildfire threats.
"The argument in our research is to keep peat wet," Waddington said.
In Delta, Burns Bog attracts migratory birds, such as the sandhill crane and is home to rare plants and berries.
For years, the land was used for peat mining and farming, which drained the bog of moisture. Peat is used as a fertilizer and burned as a heat source.
Then, In 2004, the vast majority of Burns Bog was transformed into a 2,000 hectare ecological conservancy area, following negotiations between multiple levels of government to purchase the land for $72 million and protect it.
Delta officials on Monday noted that water levels in the bog are higher than they were a decade ago, which was helping firefighting efforts.
By mid-afternoon, the fire was 50 per cent contained.Officials said they were making progress against the blaze estimated at just under 80 hectares in size.