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Northern peatlands play an important role in the regulation of the atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) balance, functioning as a net carbon sink with low rates of organic decomposition. However, perturbations such as drainage increase peat oxidation, which may lead to enhanced gaseous release of carbon. For this reason, the number of restoration projects that aim to rewet blanket bogs has increased in the last few years, but there is still a lack of understanding of the impact of restoration on emissions of greenhouse gases, such as methane, particularly in sites restored from forestry. In this paper, we investigate the seasonal greenhouse gas dynamics in a forest‐to‐bog restoration site in Scotland. We analyse the effects of restoration on both carbon dioxide and methane fluxes, and investigate which site factors (microtopography, vegetation type, soil moisture and temperature) drive the processes of gaseous exchange between the bog surface and the atmosphere. Our results show that the original surface is near greenhouse gase equilibrium at −0.28 gCO2eq m2·day−1 and that microtopographic features act as a net greenhouse gas sink (ridges = −0.94 gCO2eq m2·day−1 and furrows = −0.86 gCO2eq m2·day−1), whereas the bog pool is a net source of greenhouse gases (0.98 gCO2eq m2·day−1). We found different vegetation species play a key role in greenhouse gas flux dynamics, especially in forestry‐derived microtopographical features, and their presence and influence on greenhouse gas dynamics should be accounted for to provide a more comprehensive understanding of emissions associated with restoration management practices. Highlights: GHG (CO2 and CH4) dynamics in a boreal peatland restored from forestry are mainly affected by microtopography and vegetation.Forestry‐derived microforms (ridges and furrows) are better GHG sinks than pools (GHG emitters) and original surfaces (near GHG equilibrium).The presence of Trichophorum cespitosum leads to higher CH4 emissions.Restoration practices like terraforming may create a short‐term pulse net GHG emission due to an increase of both CH4 and CO2 fluxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scots pine bog edge woodland is a type of habitat typical on raised bogs where trees cohabitate with bog vegetation to form a low-density stand. Even though nowadays this habitat does not cover large areas, in a future scenario it is possible that this environment will expand, either naturally (drier climate) or anthropogenically, as the result of the application of new restoration strategies that could increase net landscape carbon benefits from both peatland and woodland environments. This study is the first reported investigation in Scotland exploring carbon flux dynamics from sparse woodlands on raised bogs. We examined how Scots pine trees directly or indirectly affected soil temperature and moisture, ground vegetation, and consequently carbon dioxide (CO 2) and methane (CH 4) soil fluxes. Soil CO 2 and CH 4 were measured at different distance from the tree and thereafter assessed for both spatial and temporal variability. Our results showed that these low-density trees were able to modify the ground vegetation composition, had no effect on soil temperature, but did affect the soil moisture, with soils close to tree roots significantly drier (0.25 ± 0.01 m3 m-3) than those on open bog (0.39 ± 0.02 m3 m-3). Soil CO 2 fluxes were significantly higher in the vicinity of trees (34.13 ± 3.97 μg CO 2 m−2 s−1) compared to the open bog (24.34 ± 2.86 μg CO 2 m−2 s−1). On the opposite, CH 4 effluxes were significantly larger in the open bog (0.07 ± 0.01 μg CH 4 m−2 s−1) than close to the tree (0.01 ± 0.00 μg CH 4 m−2 s−1). This suggests that Scots pine trees on bog edge woodland may affect soil C fluxes in their proximity primarily due to the contribution of root respiration, but also as a result of their effects on soil moisture, enhancing soil CO 2 emissions, while reducing the CH 4 fluxes. There is, however, still uncertainty about the complete greenhouse gas assessment, and further research would be needed in order to include the quantification of soil nitrous oxide (N 2 O) dynamics together with the analysis of complete gas exchanges at the tree-atmosphere level. • First investigation in Scotland of carbon flux dynamics from bog edge woodland. • Isolated trees modify ground vegetation and soil moisture only in their proximity. • Trees only affected soil carbon fluxes in their vicinity, not in the open bog. • Both trees and open bog may cohabitate without interfering with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]