PEATNet Kickoff Workshop

The NAIT Centre for Boreal Research is proud to launch PEATNet (Peatland Ecological Assessment and Technology Network)
About this Event

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.