Finally, we tested a novel approach to remotely sense peatland burn severity using only post-fire LiDAR. This highlights areas of deep burning (jackpots), which can aid in focusing fire management and restoration activities. [8/9]

Peatland margins are already at a greater risk for greater DOBs, but for the first time we analyzed the impact of drainage and peatland position on burn severity and found that drained margins experienced the greatest DOBs and peat carbon losses. [7/9]

Given that the afforestation feedback continues to dry out the peatland long after the initial impact of drainage we present a conceptual model outlining how the area around which a ditch has influence increases through time, increasing a the "peat fuel load" along with the increases in CFL. [6/9]

We found that canopy fuels and aboveground (tree) biomass are greater the closer you are to drainage ditches and that DOBs were greater where there was both greater AGBM and closer to ditches. [5/9]

Boreal peatlands are resistant to wildfire, but drainage causes ecohydrological shifts in peatlands which can lead to extreme depths of burn. Drainage dries the peat surface and increases peat decomposition, which both increase smouldering risks. [3/9]

Check our new paper “Fuel Loads and Peat Smoldering Carbon Loss Increase Following Drainage in a Forested Boreal Peatland” published in JGR-Biogeosciences: doi.org/10.1029/2024...
@micaheckert.bsky.social, Sophie Wilkinson, Paul Moore, and @peatofmind.bsky.social [1/9]