Data from: Short-term soil responses and site conditions to inverted mounding on peatland linear features in Alberta, Canada
Data files
Jun 04, 2026 version files 247.24 KB
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MoundingTrial_soil_properties.xlsx
243.61 KB
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README.md
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Abstract
Seismic lines represent one of the most extensive and persistent legacy disturbances in boreal peatlands in Alberta, Canada, limiting forest regeneration and altering ecosystem function. Inverted mounding has emerged as a restoration technique that elevates substrates above shallow water tables on seismic lines, yet empirical evidence on short-term biophysical responses remains limited, hindering evaluation of its effectiveness. Data included here are from an experimental mounding trial established at the Boreal Wetland Center (managed by Ducks Unlimited Canada) located south of the city of Grande Prairie, Alberta (55° 06’ 36” N, 118° 45’ 40” W). Soil moisture, bulk density, and pH were measured at three mound positions and at the ground level in untreated and reference sites, as well as mound and pit dimensions (height/depth, length, width). Measurements were recorded annually between 2019 and 2023.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.p8cz8wb5h
Description of the data and file structure
The dataset contains raw measurements for each of these variables at each individual mound within the study area. Results from these data are published in Pinzon, J. & H. Hwang (2026). Short-term soil responses and site conditions to inverted mounding on peatland linear features in Alberta, Canada. Restoration Ecology, DOI: 10.1111/rec.70457.
The data are provided as a single Excel file (.xlsx) and consist of five tabs: Mounds, Pits, GWC, BD, and pH. Each tab contains the raw measurements obtained in the field.
- Mounds tab: Mound dimensions. Height, length (parallel to the corridor), and width (perpendicular to the corridor) are measured in centimeters.
- Pits tab: Pit dimensions. Depth, length (parallel to the corridor), and width (perpendicular to the corridor) are measured in centimeters.
- BD tab: Soil Bulk Density (g/cm3). Obtained from oven-dried soil cores (15 cm in height and 2.35 cm in diameter) using the following formula: soil dry weight/core volume.
- GWC tab: Soil Gravimetric Water Content (%). Obtained from oven-dried soil cores (15 cm in height and 2.35 cm in diameter) using the following formula: (soil wet weight – soil dry weight)/soil dry weight x 100.
- pH tab: Soil pH. Measured using a FieldScout pH 600 Meter with a PinPoint Tip ISFET Probe.
Files and variables
File: MoundingTrial_soil_properties.xlsx
Description:
The Mounds tab contains the dimensions of each mound (identified with unique coding under MoundID). Dimensions are the width, length, and height measured in centimeters. Additional columns include the year in which data were collected (Year) or a factorial equivalent (Time.f), the corridor (CorridorID), and treatment (Treatment: mound size, either Large or Small) in which each mound is located. Mound IDs are a combination of Corridor-Treatment-Mound number.
Adjacent to each mound, the excavator leaves behind a pit. The Pits tab, therefore, reincludes the dimensions of each pit (identified with the same MoundID as above). Dimensions are the width, length, and depth measured in centimeters. Additional columns are as described above.
The BD tab contains the calculated soil bulk density (g/cm3) from each mound (following the same mound IDs as above). Additional columns are as described above. The Treatment column also includes the Control (untreated conditions) and Forest (adjacent peatland) conditions. The Position column describes the position from which measurements were taken: Top (mound tops) and Ground (ground level at each mound, control, and forest sites). These values were obtained from cylindrical peat cores (15 cm tall, 2.35 cm diameter) that were weighed (in grams) with a precision scale in the laboratory before and after being oven-dryed. Bulk density values were obtained from the dry weight over the core volume. This tab also provides the wet and dry weight of each soil core.
The GWC tab contains the measured soil gravimetric water content (in percentage) from each mound (following the same mound IDs as above). Columns are as described above and also provide the wet and dry weight of each soil core. GWC values were obtained from the soil wet and dry weights as follows: (soil wet weight – soil dry weight)/soil dry weight x 100.
The pH tab contains the measured soil pH values obtained from individual mounds at different positions, as above.
The mounding trial was initiated through the establishment of five linear disturbances (replicates) at the Boreal Wetland Centre, 8km southeast of Grande Prairie, AB, Canada. Each linear corridor is approximately 100 m in length and 4-5 m in width. These corridors were constructed under semi-frozen conditions between 2016 and 2018 to simulate seismic lines used for oil and gas exploration by removing all woody vegetation using standard low-ground-pressure equipment (i.e., mulcher). Each line was subsequently divided into three sections of roughly equal length, with each section randomly assigned to one of three treatments: Large mounds (target height: 50-60 cm; 400 mounds/km), Small mounds (target height: 30-40 cm; 650 mounds/km), and Control (no mounding). Treatments were applied under semi-frozen ground conditions in November 2018 using an excavator, with mounds carefully constructed to meet target dimensions and distributed evenly within each treated area.
Soil bulk density (BD) was estimated from soil cores (15 cm in height and 2.35 cm in diameter). Soil moisture was recorded as gravimetric water content (GWC) from the wet and dry weight of soil cores. pH was measured using a FieldScout pH 600 Meter with a PinPoint Tip ISFET Probe. Data were collected from individual mounds (moundID) in treated areas (Large mounds, Small mounds) and from untreated sections of the linear corridors and the adjacent peatland. The data included here are raw measurements at each sampling location.