PEATNet Kickoff Workshop

PEATNet Kickoff Workshop

Peatland Ecological Assessment and Technology Network

Overview

The NAIT Centre for Boreal Research invites you to the official kickoff of PEATNet—a long-term, province-wide initiative dedicated to knowledge synthesis, technology transfer, and continuous innovation in boreal peatland reclamation.

The Vision: A Growing Multi-Decade Living Network

PEATNet addresses the critical needs of industry operators and practitioners working to reclaim functional peatlands on in-situ mineral footprints (well pads and access roads):

• Long-term framework: The initiative connects active field trials (1–8 years) with mature legacy sites (10–18+ years), continually adding new sites over time to expand replicates across diverse bog and fen settings.
• Application-Driven Technology Development and Knowledge Sharing: Decades of proven research and trials are synthesized into open-access Decision Support Tools (DSTs), visual End-User Guides, and hands-on training to ensure consistent, transferrable sucess.
• Hub for Collaboration and Innovation: The living network acts as a hub for further collaboration and testbed for cutting-edge methodologies, including UAV/drone monitoring, high-resolution remote sensing, and biodiversity and ecosystem assessment.

Event Details

• Date: November 17, 2026 (detailed agenda to follow)
• Location: NAIT Main Campus | Edmonton, Alberta
• Format: Multi-stakeholder panels, expert presentations, and interactive round-table discussions

Workshop Structure & Highlights

Led by recognized leaders across industry, consulting, regulatory bodies, and academia, the workshop is organized around stakeholder-driven priorities spanning practice, policy, science, and community values:

• Collaborative Round-Table Discussions: Facilitated breakout sessions designed to gather direct input, identify operational bottlenecks, and exchange ideas that will directly shape and guide the first 4-year phase of PEATNet.
• Practical Earthworks & Revegetation: Deep dives into mineral fill handling (partial vs. complete removal, deep ripping, mounding) and revegetation methods (Donor Transfer Technique, planting, shrub staking).
• Policy Alignment & Science: Connecting short-term site indicators (Years 1–5) to long-term trajectories (Years 10–18+) to inform provincial reclamation criteria and reduce corporate liability uncertainty.
• Technology & Monitoring Innovations: Advancing new technologies such as drone-based remote sensing and spatial monitoring tools for large-scale assessment, and new frontiers in ecological assessment of reclaimed peatlands.

Who Should Attend?

• Industry & Operators: Liability holders, environmental managers, and asset retirement planners.
• Practitioners & Consultants: Reclamation agrologists, biologists, and heavy earthworks contractors.
• Regulators & Policy Makers: Representatives from AEPA, the AER, and public land management agencies.
• Researchers & Academics: Peatland ecologists, ecohydrologists, and remote sensing specialists.
• Communities & General Public: local communities, munipalities, watershed groups, and stakeholders interested in peatland stewardship.