Burns bog is a large sphagnum peat bog occupying approximately 4,000
ha of the Fraser River delta in south-western British Columbia.
The area has been extensively disturbed by peat extraction, landfilling
and other land-uses. Much of the bog remains in a natural or semi-natural
state. As such it represents one of the largest single tracts
of underdeveloped land in the Corporation of Delta. Land development
and growth in the municipality has been rapid in the past ten years.
Because the Burns bog area was not well known and the pressures for
development of the area were mounting, this study was initiated in
January 1975.
Available existing environmental and land-use information pertaining
to the Burns bog area was reviewed and collated. Basic vegetation
and wildlife inventories were carried out in the area, and a cover map of
extant vegetation was prepared. Several aspects of peatland ecology
were investigated. These included the determination of the rate of
spagnum peat accumulation, an estimate of the energy (caloric content)
of the peat stored with Burns bog, and net primary productivity.
The bog was found to be floristically interesting and to be quite
unlike most of the remaining underdeveloped areas of the Fraser River lowland. Because of its large size, waterlogged character, and
location between the Fraser River, Boundary Bay and the foreshore
areas of Roberts and Sturgeon banks, Burns bog is believed to be an
important natural refuge for many species of birds. The area is
an important loafing area for waterfowl, particularly mallard, pintail,
and teal, and is a nesting area for a number of raptorial ,
passerine and other birds. Perhaps one of the more important birds
of Burns bog is the greater sandhill crane, which nests in the bog
in small numbers.
Burns bog supports a number of mammal species. In addition to
a variety of "common" small mammals, the area supports a small number
of black bear, and Columbian black-tailed deer which are believed
to be isolated populations.
The land-use patterns of lands surrounding the bog area are believed
to be of key importance to bird and mammal life in the area. For
example many species of birds (ducks, raptors and sandhill cranes)
and mammals (Columbian black-tailed deer and eastern cottontail
rabbit) feed at the interface between the forested sections of the
bog and the neighbouring agricultural lands. The agricultural
character of these peripheral lands appears to influence use of the
bog by various wildlife species.
The peat samples analysed were found to be high in nitrogen and
minerals, although these nutrients were not believed to be available
for plant utilization.
The volume of peat in the bog was crudely estimated to be 108.8 hm3 .
The dry weight of this material was estimated to be 3,949,440 metric
tons, and the caloric content of this material was found to be
approximately 20,023.76 G. cal. This figure is believed to be the
approximate amount of energy stored as peat in the bog.
The sphagnum peat accumulation rate and net primary productivity
appeared to be considerably higher at hummock sites as compared
to wet depressional areas. The average rate of accumulation
of ten samples (six hummock and four -wet depression sites) was found
to be .43 cm/yr, while the average net primary productivity was
128.8 g/m2 /yr.
The vegetation and wildlife of the bog are largely determined by
the land-use practices surrounding and within the bog. For example,
"improving" the drainage of the area for the agricultural reclamation
of the peatland, or for other purposes will probably result in the
rapid decomposition and subsidence of the drained peat. The increased
availability of nutrients, and drier conditions will consequently
alter the vegetation and wildlife species distribution in the bog. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/41949 |
| Date | January 1976 |
| Creators | Biggs, Wayne Griffin |
| Publisher | University of British Columbia |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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