Muskeg is something that anyone who has been to this part of Northern Alberta has encountered whether you knew it or not. Essentially it if comprised of dead plants in various states of decomposition under the water.
The term became common in these areas because of the Cree name maskek meaning low-lying marsh. The water table in muskeg is generally near the surface. It is unable to drain away because of the muskeg’s base of either clay, permafrost or bedrock. The soil in a muskeg is wet, acidic and relatively infertile. Shore pine, black spruce, cottonwood, and some willows are about the only trees that will grow in it.
When the plants in the muskeg die they land in the water, changing the way they decompose compared to when they fall on dry ground. Sphagnum moss, common in the muskeg, can hold 15 to 30 times its weight in water, allowing the spongy wet muskeg to form on sloping ground.
At first glance the muskeg can look like a plain covered in short grass. When you look closer you see stunted trees living on the soil above the water table. When you walk on it is spongy and water logged.
It has always and continues to be a hindrance to building of roads and trails. One method commonly used when building the original trails through this area was to place large logs on the ground then to cover that with suitable materials to allow the wagons to cross over the ‘corduroy’ road. This is still practiced today in oilfield and logging operations where temporary roads are needed.
Sometimes a geo-textile material, or muskeg matting, will be laid across the muskeg prior to putting the logs down to prevent erosion and to allow less disturbance to the muskeg. In the winter, snow may be cleared from the muskeg in an area where a road is needed. This causes the muskeg to freeze and an ice road is formed. Water is often sprayed on these roads in the winter to thicken the ice and allow heavier equipment to cross them.
During spring break up or at the beginning of winter heavy equipment has been sunk in the muskeg. Several years ago in another part of Alberta a firefighter was leading cats through an area with thick smoke on an ATV. The cat immediately behind did not notice that the quad had stopped. He ran right over it and it popped up behind him with little injuries to the driver.
When ATVing in this area if you cross muskeg, try and straddle the tracks of the person who has gone before you. This will give you the best chance to not get stuck but also prevents damage and erosion to the muskeg, which is part of our ecosystem. Trappers in this area work hard to clear their trails and they are not happy when others rip up the muskeg and force them to make new ones.
To prevent fires, check the exhaust and undercarriage of your ATV regularly. The muskeg will get hung up and catch fire dropping a trail of glowing embers behind you. It is a diverse ecosystem that is not just mud. Help us to take care of it to maintain the environments that this area is naturally blessed with.