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[ID: 414] Rewetting effects on the GHG balance of a high-productive peatland forest

PI: Järvi Järveoja

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the climate impact of restoring drained peatland forests in boreal Sweden. Specifically, the project will deliver a first-time estimate of the GHG balance for a high-productive peatland forest undergoing ecological restoration to increase biodiversity. A comparison with data from other nearby drained, restored and natural peatland sites (Hälsingfors, Trollberget and Degerö) will unravel differences in their climate impact. Thus, insights from this project will provide forest and nature stakeholders with invaluable science-based decision-support for developing sustainable and climate-responsible management strategies for forestry on drained boreal peatlands.

eddy covariancegreenhouse gas emissionsrestoration of drained peatlands

[ID: 379] Impact of climate change on peatland mesocosms under various scenarios

PI: Shokoufeh Salimi

The project aims to investigate the effect of climate change on peatland mesocosms under different scenarios a) left alone b) ditch cleaning c) restoration. In this study, the response of peatlands mesocosms will be monitored in terms of hydrology, nutrients dynamics, as well as greenhouse gas emission.

Peatland mesocosmsClimate changeRestoration

[ID: 375] Summer Interns France

PI: Kevin Bishop

Students from ENGEES and other French Universities do 3 month internships based at the Vindeln Experimental Forests. Kevin Bishop has been utilizing these students since 2011 to assist in field projects related to hydrology, carbon and mercury

HydrologyCarbonMercuryENGEESSLU NJ Ämne Miljöanalys

[ID: 346] Nordic-Baltic workshop on GHG fluxes from managed/restored peatlands

PI: Matthias Peichl

Boreal peatlands provide an important carbon sink and play a key role in the global carbon cycle and climate system. During the past century, >10 million ha of natural peatlands have been drained in the Nordic-Baltic countries with the purpose to increase tree biomass production. Presently, extensive efforts are being undertaken by governmental agencies and forest stakeholders to restore these ecosystems towards their natural state with the aims to enhance conservation values and to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from these areas. Despite this high interest and activity level, the empirical knowledge for evaluating the implications on the GHG balance is scarce. As a result, the climate impact of drained and restored peatland areas is currently highly uncertain. This workshop has two main goals: 1) Gather and synthesize the current knowledge on the climate impact of drained and restored peatlands within the Nordic-Baltic domain; 2) Explore the possibilities for synthesis papers and common research proposals.

GHGpeatlandrestoration

[ID: 343] Forest management effects on mobilization of soil carbon to surface waters

PI: Alberto

Large areas (up to 20%) of the Swedish forest land have been artificially drained by ditching during the past centuries to increase timber production. When these ditches age, ditch cleaning must often be conducted in order to maintain high timber productivity. For other areas no production increase has occurred. These areas have recently been suggested as potential areas for restoration to their “natural state” as wetlands, as a way to improve biodiversity and mitigate hydrological floods or droughts. This project will focus on the surface water effects of these two forest management operations, ditch cleaning (DC) and wetland restoration (WR). There is currently limited information on how DC and WR operations affects the amount and composition of terrestrial carbon (C) being exported to surface waters.

Forest managementcarbonisotopes

[ID: 336] Downstream propagation of clear cut effects

PI: Maria Myrstener

This project aims to evaluate downstream propagation of clear cut effects with a focus on metabolic rates. We ask whether physical and chemical effects on metabolic rates within clear cuts are propagated to downstream forest streams. We also evaluate whether larger buffer zones within clear cuts can mitigate downstream propagation of clear cut effects.

downstream propagationclear cutmetabolism

[ID: 320] Restored wetlands - Hotspots for methane emission and mercury methylation?

PI: Jacob Smeds

Wetlands are unique ecosystems delivering important ecosystem services to society. Due to extensive drainage only a minor fraction of the original wetland areas still remains in e.g. Europe. During the last decades, wetland restoration has become a prioritized environmental protection action in many European countries. Also the Swedish government has defined wetland restoration as major national undertaking, with numerous authorities and landowners actively involved. The major objectives behind wetland restoration are increased biodiversity, increased carbon sequestration, increased groundwater storage and improved surface water quality. However, wetland restoration also causes fundamental changes in biogeochemical properties and may result in undesired impacts and potential environmental threats. In addition, a century or more of drained conditions has drastically changed the soil properties in relation to natural wetlands and this is likely to profoundly influence the potential for various biogeochemical processes. This renders the impact of restoration on biogeochemical processes difficult to predict. Methane is the second most important green-house gas after carbon dioxide. Another process of grave concern is mercury (Hg) methylation. The overall aim of the project is to identify properties of rewetted wetlands that are critical for methane dynamics (including both production and consumption) and for the transformation of inorganic Hg to elemental gaseous Hg and the toxic MeHg molecule. We will the compare these properties and the associated biogeochemical pathways relative adjacent undisturbed natural wetlands. Understanding these biological systems will be fundamental for developing strategies to minimize emissions of the greenhouse gas methane and concentrations of methyl mercury in ground and surface waters of our landscape following wetland restoration.

WetlandrestorationmethaneHg

[ID: 249] Trollberget regular stream sampling

PI: Eliza Maher Hasselquist

Monitoring of water chemistry in several streams. Sampling twice per week with increased frequency during the spring flood.

stream waterchemistrycatchment

[ID: 240] CATCHMENT SCALE SUSPENDED SEDIMENT EXPORT

PI: Eliza Maher Hasselquist

Question: How does clear-cutting and subsequent ditch cleaning affect the quality and quantity of exported suspended solids (SS) at the catchment scale? Methods: 1. Turbidity logged every 15 minutes during the ice-free season 2. Suspended Sediment grab sample on average 2x per month all year round a. Use SS grab samples to correlate to turbidity and thus have continuous measurements during active times of the year. 3. Time Integrated Mass Flux Sampling (TIMS) during ice-free season – Integrated measure over 2 weeks 4. Ditch characteristics before and after cleaning a. bed material samples b. measurements of particle size distribution of the bed material c. ditch cross sections at 50 m intervals with high res GPS or total station d. ditch depth, bottom width

ditch cleaningdikesrensningwater qualityclear-cut

[ID: 228] Regular stream sampling

PI: Hjalmar Laudon

Monitoring of water chemistry in several streams (C1, 6, 10, 13, 16, 20, 18 Degerö (referens) dvs ej SITES WATER) Sampling on ODD weeks. Sampling twice per month with increased frequency during the spring flood.

catchmentchemistrystream water

[ID: 221] Post-harvest ditch maintenance effects on the forest carbon balance

PI: Matthias Peichl

We will quantify the impact of post-harvest ditch cleaning on the CO2 exchange of forest clear cuts. Measurements are carried out using two parallel eddy covariance systems in control and treatment area. The study is conducted within the Trollberget clear-cut/DNM experimental sites.

ditch maintenance networkcarbon cycleforest clear cut