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The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) published the second edition of its International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration in 2019. We conducted a pan‐Canadian study using semi‐structured interviews with restoration professionals to explore the extent to which restoration practitioners are aware of the document and use it. Overall, we found that direct uptake of the document by practitioners was lower than expected, with approximately 37.7% of all participants that were both aware of and consulting the publication for guidance in their practice of ecological restoration. This is due in part to low awareness of the document itself, with only a small majority (56.5%) of interviewees being aware of it. Other reasons listed by practitioners such as the structure of the publication, its added value, and its suitability for on‐the‐ground work revealed why some individuals aware of the existence of the document still failed to consult it. Here, we present a more nuanced assessment of these observations and share our findings with the ecological restoration community to address this disconnection. With intensifying pressures to achieve restoration success internationally, SER's guidance is critical. We analyze why it seems guidance from SER is not being taken up as fully as it might, and ways in which future versions may be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant colonization after gravel extraction for road construction is slow and is often considered to be primary succession. The goal of this study was to identify the plant communities that spontaneously colonized borrow pits located in boreal climate zones and to assess how environmental variables influenced this colonization process. It also helped identifying potential combinations of plants to use as well as environmental factors to improve to restore borrow pits. A total of 505 plots were inventoried in 117 borrow pits located in the boreal forest highlands 120 km northeast of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (Parc national des Grands Jardins). Species cover was visually estimated for different plant communities within each borrow pit where slope and soil characteristics were also evaluated. We used multivariate analyses, including clustering, redundancy, and regression tree analyses. The borrow pits studied were undergoing primary succession processes decades after abandonment. The main pioneer species were bryophytes and lichens. Soil water content and soil physicochemistry had the greatest influence on the natural colonization of borrow pits. We observed that, based on the prevailing conditions, the bryophytes Polytrichum piliferum Hedw. and Niphotrichum canescens (Hedw.) Bednarek-Ochyra & Ochyra, lichens of the genus Stereocaulon, and the lichen Trapeliopsis granulosa (Hoffm.) Lumbsch could potentially act as nurse species and could initiate the restoration of borrow pits located in boreal forests. Key words: roadside, road construction, site rehabilitation, spontaneous regeneration, restoration. Les processus de colonisation vegetale dans les sites utilises pour l'extraction du gravier pour la construction des routes est lent et ressemble a la succession primaire. Cette etude visait a identifier les communautes vegetales qui colonisaient spontanement les bancs d'emprunts soumis a un climat boreal et a evaluer le role des variables environnementales lors du processus de colonisation. Elle a aussi aide a identifier des combinaisons d'especes a utiliser et les contraintes a reprimer afin de restaurer les bancs d'emprunt. Un total de 505 releves de vegetation ont ete effectues dans 117 bancs d'emprunt situes dans les hauts plateaux de la foret boreale, a 120 km a au nord-est de Quebec, Quebec, Canada (Parc national des Grands Jardins). Le recouvrement de chaque espece a ete evalue visuellement pour toutes les communautes dans chacun des bancs d'emprunt. Les caracteristiques de la pente et du substrat ont ete evaluees. Des analyses de groupement, de redondance et d'arbre de regression multivariables ont ete effectuees. Nos resultats montrent que les bancs d'emprunt sont soumis a des processus de succession primaire plusieurs decennies apres leur abandon. Les principaux colonisateurs primaires des bancs d'emprunt sont les bryophytes et les lichens. La physicochimie et la quantite d'eau du sol sont les variables qui influencent le plus le processus de colonisation. Nous avons observe que, selon les conditions environnementales, les bryophytes Polytrichum piliferum Hedw. et Niphotrichum canescens (Hedw.) Bednarek-Ochyra & Ochyra, les lichens du genre Stereocaulon et le lichen Trapeliopsis granulosa (Hoffm.) Lumbsch pourraient potentiellement faciliter la succession afin d'initier la restauration des bancs d'emprunt situes dans les forets boreales. Mots-cles: bord de route, construction de route, rehabilitation, regeneration spontanee, restauration., Introduction Large quantities of gravel and sand are required for road construction. In many cases, these granulates are extracted from glacial deposits adjacent to future road courses, forming borrow pits. [...]

We conducted a fertilization experiment in polygon fens that were grazed by Greater Snow Geese on Bylot Is land (Canadian Arctic) to determine whether mosses can interfere with nutrient cycling and thereby prevent a direct fertilizing effect of herbivore faeces on vascular plants. We measured the effects of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and faecal addition on growth parameters and nutrient content of graminoids and mosses over a 2 year period. Growth and nutrient content of graminoids were enhanced only for high levels of N addition (5 g x [m.sup.2] per season), and showed little response to P addition. Although the growth of mosses showed a slight response to N or P addition, it is primarily nutrient content that was generally enhanced at all levels of fertilization. In many cases, stronger responses were detected when N and P were applied in combination, rather than singly. Addition of goose droppings had no effect on any measured parameters. Our results suggest that bryophytes act as a natural barrier by absorbing nutrients from external additions, thus blocking the access of highly assimilable nutrients to graminoid plant roots. At increased levels of N addition, bryophytes were apparently saturated so the nutrient surplus leached down to roots and was thus available for graminoid plant growth. The presence of a thick moss layer likely explains why the deposition of faeces by herbivores such as geese has no effect on graminoid growth in arctic polygon fens. Key words: fertilization, moss carpet layer, nutrient cycling, plant-herbivore interactions, polygon fens, Snow Goose. Nous avons realise une experience de fertilisation dans les polygones de tourbe broutes par la Grande oie des neiges sur l'Ile Bylot (arctique canadien) pour determiner si les mousses prevent modifier le cycle des nutriments et ainsi empecher un effet fertilisant des herbivores sur les plantes vasculaires. Nous avons mesure les effecs d'ajouts d'azote, de phosphore et de feces d'oie sur les parameters de croissance et le contenu en nutriments des graminoides et des mousses apres 2 annees de fertilisation. La croissance et le contenu en nutriments des graminoides ont augmente seulement en re ponse aux ajouts eleves d'azote (5 g x [m.sup.2] par season) et ont montre une faible reponse aux ajouts de phosphore. Meme si la croissance des mousses a ete legerement influencee par les ajouts d'azote ou de phosphore, c'est surtout leur contenu en nutriments qui a generalement augmente sous tous les niveaux de fertilisation. Souvent, une reponse plus importante a ete detectee lorsque l'azote et le phosphore etaient ajoutes en combination. L'addition de feces n'a eu d'effet sur aucun para metre. Nos resultats suggerent que les bryophytes agissent comme une barriere naturelle en absorbant les nutriments prove nant de la fertilisation, bloquant ainsi l'acces des racines des plantes vasculaires a des nutriments tres assimilables. Sous des ajouts eleves d'azote, les bryophytes sont apparemment saturees et le surplus de nutriments peut etre lessive jusqu'aux racines et devenir disponible pour la croissance des graminoides. La presence d'un epais tapis de mousses peut expliquer pourquoi la deposition de feces par des herbivores comme les oies n'a pas d'effet sur la croissance des graminoides dans les polygones de tourbe de l'Arctique. Mots-cles : fertilisation, tapis de mousses, cycle des nutriments, interactions plantes-herbivores, polygones de tourbe, Oie des neiges., Introduction Plant growth in the Arctic is constrained by low radiation, precipitation, and nutrient availability, and by the short duration of the snow-free period. In turn, the low nutrient avail [...]

Bogs are known to be relatively resistant and resilient to fire, due to the dominance of wet Sphagnum mosses. Indeed, Sphagnum mosses by holding water, ensure bog resistance, and by regenerating from any fragments left post‐fire, ensure bog resilience. The return of several ecological attributes has been reported in the literature post‐restoration. However, the resistance and resilience have not yet been evaluated in restored peatlands. A fire affecting an extracted peatland restored 10 years ago provided the opportunity to (1) evaluate the losses post‐fire, in terms of phytobiomass and plant cover and (2) assess early vegetation recovery after one growing season post‐fire. The fire response of the restored peatland, in terms of resistance and short‐term resilience, differed between the main plant communities. Sphagnum Lawn communities (Sphagnum species from the Acutifolia subgenus and Eriophorum vaginatum) showed greater resistance to fire losing proportionally less phytobiomass (17%) than Wet Hollow communities (44%) (Sphagnum species from the Cuspidata subgenus and Scirpus cyperinus). Greater resistance of the Sphagnum Lawn likely comes from the Acutifolia Sphagnum species growing in dense carpets with good water retention, along with the E. vaginatum tussocks being able to retain humidity below the tussocks, whereas the looser growth habit of Cuspidata Sphagnum species do not have good capillary rise capacity and Scirpus produced litter that can produce a good fuel. This study reinforces the idea that a peatland restoration approach using reintroduction material dominated by Acutifolia Sphagnum species and tussock cottongrass provides a better resistance and short‐term resilience of restored peatlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies in tundra ecology provide evidence for sensitivity of the vegetation-soil complex to climate. Short-term experiments ([less than or equal to] 10 yr) suggest that climate change may have a decade-scale effect on soil moisture, decomposition and nutrient availability, plant phenology, and plant growth. In contrast, there exists little evidence to confirm or refute the role of climate in structuring tundra vegetation over longer time scales (10 to 1000 yr). This study accordingly examines ~1500 yr in the stratigraphy of two permafrost sediment cores from a High Arctic, polygon-patterned, graminoid-moss tundra. Present-day bryophyte-environment relationships are quantified, and the radiocarbon-dated macrofossil record of bryophytes is used to reconstruct past changes in soil moisture. The paleoecological record is characterized by pronounced variability during polygon development. As the hydrology of tundra polygons is controlled by known climatic and geomorphologic mechanisms, the recurrent development of polygon vegetation (cf. hydrologic change) is compared to an independent paleoclimatic proxy for net radiation ([R.sub.n]). Based on this comparison, the vegetation provides support for a pronounced shift to colder and wetter conditions during the Little Ice Age (~300-465 yr BP), though the long-term response to past climate change is otherwise equivocal. We suggest accordingly that autogenic geomorphologic-vegetation processes may have been generally more important than climate in the long-term development of the polygon-patterned wetland examined. A framework for such processes is presented. We caution that previous research to simulate and describe the effects of climate warming might not have properly accounted for the dynamic role of geomorphology in regulating tundra microclimate. Key words: bryophytes; climate change; High Arctic wetland; Little Ice Age; paleohydrology; tundra polygons.

In this study, our goal was to adapt the moss layer transfer technique (MLTT), first developed to restore degraded Sphagnum‐dominated peatland explicitly with a bryophyte layer, to a former in‐situ oil sands well‐pad constructed with nearby mineral fill in northwestern Alberta, Canada. Mineral fill was either completely removed or partially removed with residual fill buried under excavated and decompacted peat, followed by the transfer of donor moss collected from nearby linear features with different plant communities in peatlands. Three years after MLTT, peatland vegetation covers 63% of the site. Carex spp. dominate with 36% coverage, followed by mosses at 12%, including 3% Sphagnum spp. and 8% fen mosses, and shrubs at 8%. Different substrate adjustment treatments and types of donor moss had negligible impact on vegetation development although areas without MLTT remained devoid of mosses and had the lowest peatland species cover. Instead, surface elevation, moisture conditions, and substrate chemistry played important roles in shaping the vegetation communities. The prompt introduction and establishment of peatland donor species through MLTT was crucial to the overall re‐establishment of peatland vegetation. This is the first full pad scale study to prove that a flat, moist peat surface created by the removal and/or burial of mineral fill can support peatland vegetation development, particularly ground layer bryophytes. Overall, the reclaimed well‐pad appears to be on trajectory toward becoming a functional peatland and our approaches should be considered and tested in future well‐pad reclamation trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across Canada's boreal forest, disturbances from in situ oil sands mining, including well‐pads, significantly impact vast areas of the landscape. The creation of well‐pads requires removal of vegetation and placement of mineral fill, which essentially stops any carbon (C) sequestration on the once peatland ecosystem. It is important that, once no longer in use, these well‐pads are restored as long‐term C (peat) accumulation is what defines peatland ecosystem. However, little is known about the recovery of greenhouse gas exchange post‐restoration of these features. We studied a decommissioned well‐pad located in a treed poor fen that was restored using three soil adjustment treatments (SATs): (1) complete mineral fill removal (Peat‐Dec); (2) partial pad removal and burial under peat layer (BUPL); and (3) mixing mineral and peat by inversion (Mixed‐P‐M). The recreated peat surface was revegetated with donor peatland species using the moss layer transfer technique (MLTT). The objectives of this paper were to (1) quantify plot‐scale seasonal carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) exchange of the SATs, 2–4 years post‐restoration compared to reference sites and (2) determine the influence of several environmental variables on CO2 and CH4 exchange. All SATs proved effective in recreating a soil surface needed to support peatland vegetation as shown by similar rates of net ecosystem exchange (NEE). Equally, both types of vegetation reintroduced led this site on a trajectory toward functioning as a net C sink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]