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Tag Archive for: Northern Boreal Mountains

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More Muskeg: The Taiga Plains

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Last month, you learned about northern bogs and fens: important features in the northern boreal mountains. We’re not finished with them yet. ‘Muskeg’ is also a common feature across the Taiga Plains ecoprovince.

The Taiga Plains is an ecoprovince that extends into the northeast corner of B.C., forming part of the traditional territories of Dene-thah, Dunne-za, Kaska Dene, and Sekani First Nations. It is a small portion of a larger ecozone of low-lying plains centred on the Mackenzie River.

In B.C., the Taiga Plains are rolling flatlands, crossed by rivers and streams. Permafrost occurs across much of the ecozone, accounting for the presence of water in so much of the landscape. Muskeg is another common feature across the ecoprovince, especially in the northernmost sections where it covers between 50 and 70% of the land.

Wetland habitat translates to species diversity in this region. As the Ecological Framework of Canada explains, in the Taiga Plains “the most species-rich habitats are the mixed woods and shrublands associated with the fens, bogs, ponds, streams, and lakes.”

Wetlands also contribute to the climate of the region. The Taiga Plains have a continental climate dominated by continental air masses due to its distance from the Pacific Ocean. The Taiga Plains experience long, cold winters and relatively little precipitation. In summers, precipitation (rain) is mainly caused when wetlands heat up and water evaporates. This water falls again as convective showers.

The Taiga Plains is a region of extensive oil and gas exploration and development which causes significant damage to the region including:

  • Fragmenting the landscape
  • Compromising and eliminating habitat,
  • Changing hydrology, and
  • Contaminating soil and water.
Organizations like wetlands.org inspire us to value wetlands by reminding us that boreal and sub-arctic wetlands “are critical for nature; many migratory species such as geese and waders depend on the area for breeding in the summer. The vast peat swamps are also essential for maintaining the global climate, containing literally billions of tonnes of organic carbon, many times more than the annual global fossil fuel emissions.”
Photo via Taiga Plains Research Centre

 

A Marsh? A Bog? A Swamp? A Fen?

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Wetlands can be a bit baffling. What is a bog? Is it different than a fen? And what the heck is muskeg? The Northern Boreal Mountains ecoprovince is a great place to start in answering these questions.

A region of mountains, plateaus, and densely forested valley bottoms, the borthern boreal mountains are also characterized by lowland wetlands.

Two wetland types are common: bogs and fens. In addition to water, both are characterized by peat – poorly decomposed vegetation – at least 40 cm deep.

Often referred to as muskeg in northern boreal and arctic regions, bogs and fens provide important ecosystem services. They provide habitat for species like the threatened woodland caribou. Bogs and fens also store carbon and help mitigate climate change.

So what’s the difference?

Bogs store and release water to and from the surrounding land, but are not connected to a system of lakes or streams. Bogs are nutrient poor and generally have low plant diversity as a result.

Fens, on the other hand, are connected to slow, but flowing water of small lakes and streams. According to Ducks Unlimited, in a fen, “water sources have been in contact with nutrient-rich surface and/or groundwater making fens more productive and biologically diverse than bogs.”

In the northern boreal mountain ecoprovince, looking at what grows in a wetland can also give you a clue to whether it is a bog or a fen.

In a northern boreal bog, you can expect to find stunted Black spruce, Labrador Tea, Cloudberry, Leatherleaf, Lingonberry, and Sphagnum moss.

In a northern boreal fen, you may also find black spruce, as well as white, but also expect to find tamarack.Sweet Gale, willows, Buckbean, sedges and fen mosses make up the low, shrubby layers.

So what about marshes and swamps? Ducks Unlimited Canada has excellent resources.

Featured image by Gordon McKenna via Flickr

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