A Unique Ecosystem

Burns Bog is a type of wetland called a raised bog. Wetlands are defined in Canada as “land that has the water table at, near, or above the land surface”. They are places where you would expect to find plants and animals that are adapted to a wet environment. There are five types of wetlands in the Canadian classification system: bog, fen, swamp, marsh and shallow open water.

A bog is a peatland, which is a special kind of wetland where at least 30 cm of peat (plant matter) has piled up because the very wet conditions have created an environment where decomposition is extremely slow.

Raised bogs get their name from the fact that the peat has piled up so high that the ground surface becomes raised above the local groundwater table. The bog becomes isolated from surrounding waters so that the only water entering the bog comes from precipitation (rain, snow and fog). Precipitation is low in nutrients and, consequently, so are bogs.

Read below to learn more about plants and wildlife that inhabit Burns Bog.

Did you know?

Burns Bog is one of a small number of SandHill Crane nesting sites in the Lower Mainland.

Burns Bog Flora and Fauna (June 17, 2014)

Because Burns Bog has many hidden hazards, the only people allowed in are part of a small, essential workforce tasked with restoring and protecting this very special ecosystem.

4:08 min

There are about 14 different plant communities in Burns Bog today, including open bog, fields regenerating from peat extraction and forests that have grown up since the bog was partially drained.

The most important plant communities in Burns Bog are “peat-forming” – plants that grow in places with a high water table, such as Sphagnum mosses. These are the plants that form the bog ecosystem. We are working to promote further growth of these “peat-forming” plant communities to help the bog recover from peat extraction and re-grow into a healthy raised bog system.

Several plant species in Burns Bog are isolated populations (‘islands’) that are growing at the southern limit of their range in North America. These rare plants include:
Burns Bog is known to have been the home of at least:
- 175 bird species
- 41 mammals
- 11 amphibians
- 6 reptiles
- 4000 (approximate) invertebrate species
Fish have been found at the edge of the bog, but they have a hard time in the bog itself due to the low pH (too acidic) and the lack of oxygen (stagnant water).

The high diversity of wildlife in Burns Bog is due to the wide variety of habitats that the bog provides, such as open water in ponds and ditches, Sphagnum fields, low and high shrub communities, and several different types of forest.

Rare and Endangered Species

Several rare and endangered species are known to have inhabited Burns Bog:

Bird
Common Name	Latin Name	Provincial Listing
Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus anatum Falco peregrinus pealei	red blue
Purple Martin	Progne subis	blue
American Bittern	Botaurus lentiginosus	blue
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	blue
Green Heron	Butorides virescens	blue
Short-billed Dowitcher	Limnodromus griseus	blue
Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia	blue
California Gull	Larus californicus	red
Barn Owl	Tyto alba	blue
Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	blue

Mammal
Common Name	Latin Name	Provincial Listing
Southern Red-backed Vole	Myodes gapperi occidentalis	red
Pacific Water Shrew	Sorex bendirii	red
Trowbridge’s Shrew	Sorex trowbridgii	blue

Amphibian/reptile
Common Name	Latin Name	Provincial Listing
Red-legged Frog	Rana aurora	blue

Red-listed = extirpated, endangered or threatened in British Columbia

Blue-listed = of special concern (formerly vulnerable)