Rising from the Ashes: Evaluating the Potential for Peat Moss Recovery After Wildfire
CWSF · 2026 Environment & Climate Change Bronze Medal
Overview
Peatlands are the largest terrestrial store of carbon globally, and Canada’s peatlands hold 25% of this store. Climate change leads to increased wildfire intensity and frequency, which can damage peatlands and cause a release of their stored carbon. This creates a feedback effect that can result in more fires and extreme weather, leading to dryer and less resilient peatlands. In Fall 2025, a wildfire burned 100 acres of Morewood peatbog. This research tested peat cuttings from Morewood with different burn levels to evaluate their ability to retain water and regenerate growth and compared the findings to non-wildfire-affected cuttings from Mer Bleue peatbog. The study found that fire-damaged peat at every level of burn could absorb water. However, while peat with mild-moderate burn levels could regenerate, the most severely burned peat did not regrow. Studying peatlands’ ability to recover after wildfire is important because peatlands are a nature-based-solution for climate-change mitigation.
Awards (2)
- Bronze Medal
- Selected for CWSF 2026
Competition history
- CWSF 2026
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