The role of Eriophorum vaginatum in carbon dioxide (CO 2) and methane (CH4) dynamics of two restored peatlands in eastern Canada was examined. Sites were established in Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec from May to October of 1999 and 2000, and Shippagan, New Brunswick from May to October of 2001. / CH4 emissions from E. vaginatum collars were positively related to maximum photosynthesis in 1999 and 2001, when the water table was close to the surface. CH4 emissions were also positively related to end of season above ground plant biomass at both sites. CH4 emissions from E. vaginatum collars ranged from -0.015 to 14.7 mg CH4-C m-2 h-1 at Riviere-du-Loup and -0.15 to 5.4 mg CH4-C m -2 h-1 at Shippagan. It is likely that E. vaginatum provides substrate for methanogenesis through plant production and acts as a conduit transporting CH4 to the atmosphere. / Patterns of NEE from E. vaginatum depended on site-specific and year-specific conditions. E. vaginatum was a net sink for CO2 at high and low light levels at Shippagan, and a net source of CO2 at low light levels at Riviere-du-Loup.

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