Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | Metro Vancouver. 2007. Burn Bog Ecological Conservancy Area, Management Plan, May 2007. Metro Vancouver. |
|---|---|
| Organization | Metro Vancouver |
| URL | http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks/ParksPublications/BurnsBogManagementPlan.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | Burns Bog is a 5000-year-old raised bog located near the mouth of the Fraser River in the Municipality of Delta, British Columbia (Canada). The Bog is an area of global ecological significance based on its chemistry, form, flora and large size, exhibiting typical raised bog ecosystem characteristics. While there are many bogs in Canada, raised or domed bogs are less common. Raised peat bogs occur in areas where the water table is at or near the ground surface for most of the year, and water drainage is inhibited by relatively flat topography. When bog plants die, they decompose very slowly because the high water table excludes air that accelerates the decomposition process. Over time, a mound of peat slowly accumulates as the plants grow, decline and slowly decompose. The mound or dome grows fastest at the center of a raised bog. The water table follows the domed shape of the bog. The vegetation is mostly sphagnum mosses and the few other plant species that can tolerate the very acidic and wet bog conditions. Historically, Burns Bog covered about 4,800 hectares (11,860 acres). However, it is about half that size today with the encroachment of agriculture and industrial land uses. The surrounding rural and urban development affects the vegetation and wildlife within the Bog and isolates the Bog from other natural areas. The hydrology and ecology of the remaining Bog has been further disrupted by peat extraction and related activities. At present, about twenty-nine percent (29%) of the Bog remains relatively undisturbed. Burns Bog is one of Canada’s largest undeveloped land masses within an urban area. It supports distinctive bog vegetation communities and recognized rare and endangered plant and wildlife species. While not pristine, the Bog is believed to maintain enough of its ecological integrity (wholeness) to allow its restoration over time. |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Lower Fraser |
| Sub-watershed if known | |
| Aquifer # | |
| Comments | |
| Project status | complete |
| Contact Name | |
| Contact Email |