Paludification

On the eastern side of Lago Fontana small bogs are to be found here and there, paludifications of spring water where there is still sufficient moraine bed; most of them, however, are already dried and covered with sand.

Each peatland has its own individuality within the broad themes; there may be both lakefill and paludification, or perhaps some combination of both; there may be “final” peatland stages either wooded or treeless —most, it would appear, are combinations, variable in space and time.

One of the most significant ecological processes occurring in the black spruce forests of northern Abitibi is the paludification of forest soils (Boudreault et al. 2002; Fenton et al. 2005; Lavoie et al. 2005; Simard et al. 2007).

Research by Backman (1919) proved, however, that only about 5% of the swamps had arisin in that way, and that the paludification of mineral soils was the most common source of swamps.

At sites undergoing paludification, litter can accumulate to great thicknesses, as soils become increasingly colder, wetter, and nutrient-poor.