So what is a bog, anyway?
Bogs are one of North America’s most distinctive types of wetlands. Swamps and marshes are also a type of wetland, but lack one major characteristic of bogs moss, and lots of it. A bog is identified by wet, spongy ground covered in a thick carpet of sphagnum moss - a moss that grows only in wet and acidic areas, where its remains become compacted with other plant debris to form peat. Sphagnum moss is basically the living surface skin of the bog, as plants grow from it. This results in an ecosystem with very specialized and rare flora and fauna.
Bogs act much like a sink or bathtub that does not drain well because it is clogged. Bogs, such as Burns Bog, were once a depression in the ground that filled with water. Without drainage, the water becomes stagnant. Plants such as grasses, sedges and cattails grow from this condition and later die, leaving behind their remains. This produces acidic water ideal for sphagnum moss. Dead plants don’t easily decompose in this type of environment, so their remains build up over time to create peat.
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Fast facts
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Peat is a dark-brown or black mass of unconsolidated, semicarbonized, partially decomposed plant debris formed in an anaerobic, water-saturated environment, such as a marsh or bog. It is commonly used as fertilizer and is used as a fuel in certain areas, e.g., Ireland. Low evaporation and wet and acidic conditions cause peat to accumulate. Bogs are very rich in plant residue and are characterized by low-nutrient levels, waterlogged conditions, acidic waters and extreme temperatures. This harsh environment requires special adaptations by the plant and animal species that live there.
Bogs are indigenous to the Northern Hemisphere, and are generally associated with short growing seasons and low temperatures. These conditions provide abundant precipitation and high humidity, causing excessive moisture to accumulate. This is key in the development of a bog. A raised bog such as Burns Bog does not receive water from runoff, groundwater or streams. It is dependent solely on rainwater as its only source of moisture. Plants do not grow tall; they remain low to the ground. These unique conditions attract acid-loving shrubs, dwarfed pines and insect-eating plants.
Burns Bog is an ice-age wonder. The story of Burns Bog is an ancient one, dating back to 15,000 years ago when glaciers covered British Columbia. Glaciers had a hand in forming many of Earth’s geological wonders, including carving a depression into the ground that would later become Burns Bog. These huge slabs of ice, around 5,000 feet thick, covered the area. Eventually, the climate warmed up and the glaciers either retreated or melted away, unveiling mountains, rivers and valleys. In some places, ice this thick had weighed heavily on the land and formed deep depressions. Burns Bog began as one of these holes about 5,000 years ago. 
The hole was like a shallow lake of both fresh and salt water that seeped into the area from the Fraser River and the nearby Strait of Georgia. Over time, as the Fraser River grew, sediments such as sand, silt and clay accumulated. Marshy plants such as cattails, grasses and sedges began to grow. As more layers of plant life accumulated, more ground grew upward. As plants died, some of their remains did not decompose or decomposed so slowly that they broke down to form peat. Only plants that could adapt to these difficult conditions grew and flourished.
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