Nordic-Baltic Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Exchanges and Carbon Cycling in Managed Peatlands

Last changed: 01 March 2023
Trollberget experimental rewetting area, northern Sweden

Boreal peatlands provide an important carbon sink and play a key role in the global carbon cycle and climate system. During the past century, >10 million ha of natural peatlands have been drained in the Nordic-Baltic countries. Presently, extensive efforts are being undertaken by governmental agencies and forest stakeholders to restore these ecosystems towards their natural state with the aims to enhance conservation values and to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from these areas. Despite this high interest and activity level, the empirical knowledge for evaluating the implications on the GHG balance is scarce. As a result, the climate impact of drained and restored peatland areas is currently highly uncertain.

This workshop has two main goals: 1) Gather and synthesize the current knowledge on the climate impact of drained and restored peatlands within the Nordic-Baltic domain; 2) Explore the possibilities for synthesis papers and common research proposals.

We welcome contributions from experimental and modeling studies that explore effects from human activities (with a priority on peatland forestry) on the aquatic and terrestrial GHG and carbon fluxes in managed peatlands and unmanaged reference systems.

The program of this 4-day workshop starts with a 3-day Scientific Part including plenary lectures, breakout sessions and field trips to natural, drained and rewetted peatland sites within the Kulbäcksliden and Trollberget research infrastructures located in the vicinity of the workshop venue. Day 4 will be dedicated to discussions with stakeholders.

Note that the workshop will be limited to 60 participants. If necessary, attendants will be selected based on abstract and field of research. On Day 4, priority will be given to stakeholder representatives.

Confirmed Keynote Speakers

Kari Minkkinen, Assoc. Prof., Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
Title: Is it possible to manage peatland forests in a climate-sustainable way?

Hannu Marttila, Assoc. Prof., Water Energy and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland
Title: Hydrological processes in Northern managed peatlands and relation to biogeochemical processes

Nigel Roulet, Prof., Department of Geography, McGill University, Canada
Title: Observations and simulations of greenhouse gas exchange from natural, extractive and restored Canadian peatlands

Irena F. Creed, Prof., Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Title: Role of Practitioners in the Science-Policy-Practice Process of Wetland Restoration

Date & Location

June 12-15 (Mon-Thu), 2023, in Vindeln, Sweden
Opening date for abstract submission: October 17, 2022
Abstract submission deadline: December 16, 2022

Travel info

For Finnish travellers a ferry connection from Vasa to Umeå is available on late Sunday evening and back on Wednesday evening. A shuttle, suitable for those taking the ferry, between Workshop location and Umeå ferry terminal will be provided.

The Organizing committee

Järvi Järveoja (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU), Mats Öquist (SLU), Matthias Peichl (SLU), Mats Nilsson (SLU), Annalea Lohila (Finnish Meteorological Institute and University of Helsinki), Markku Koskinen (Univ. of Helsinki), Paavo Ojanen (Natural Resources Institute Finland and Univ. of Helsinki)

Final Registration

The form below is only intended for those of you who have already pre-registered for the workshop! Deadline for final registration is March 10th, 2023.

Contact Linnea Larsson if you have any questions.


Contact