A developing Forested Wetlands Project will be the topic of a presentation by Logan Gray and Sydney Bliss to Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society, 7:30 p.m. at Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History in Halifax; all welcome. View Details
“Forested wetlands are an important part of the broad coastal landscape of the Atlantic provinces. Although these habitats are likely to be as sensitive to disturbance as other wetlands, they have been overlooked and understudied. Because of the presence of trees and their more complex vegetation structure, forested wetlands are likely very diverse and and have distinctive aspects to their ecosystem functioning.
“The Forested Wetland Project, funded under the Atlantic Ecosystems Initiative, was initiated in 2016 through collaboration of [researchers at] Dalhousie, Mount St. Vincent and Memorial Universities. Its objectives are to “characterize biodiversity of different types of [Maritime] wetlands (structural, plant, bird, lichen, fungal diversity); relate different aspects of biodiversity in forested wetlands to assess their vulnerability to biodiversity loss; and to determine the role of forested wetlands in the carbon cycle by monitoring tree decomposition.
“The Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society is one of the NGO partners who are asked to provide input on locations of forested wetlands, identify interesting features and challenges and assist in the dissemination and discussion of results. It is early on in the project and this presentation is intended help to engage NSWFS members and others in the project. Logan Gray is the Project Manager for the Nova Scotia team, Sydeny’s focus is on birds.”
—————-
This project is a welcome initiative. Treed bogs and fens and wooded swamps are among Nova Scotia’s most common wetlands and important hydrologically, for wildlife and for carbon storage. No special approval is required for harvesting trees in these wetlands; minimal watercourse protection regulations apply (re: NS Wetland policy). In addition, roads through forested wetlands, and harvesting operations in the vicinity of forested wetlands can have serious effects on their functioning.