Due to the substantial soil carbon stocks present in wetlands, disturbances to these ecosystems can result in anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that should be included in national inventories. International guidance is provided for estimating GHG emissions from wetland drainage but is lacking for soil disturbances without drainage that affect Canadian boreal peatlands. One such disturbance is geologic exploration, which involves the clearing of trees from 2�10 m strips creating seismic lines. We aimed to quantify GHG emissions associated with seismic line disturbance by: 1) assessing changes in near surface soil organic matter content, 2) performing microcosm studies of seismic line soil disturbances and 3) measuring in situ chamber-based GHG fluxes. Organic matter content of surface soils was significantly reduced on seismic lines compared to adjacent undisturbed areas, and are more similar to areas of lower microtopography. Microcosm results indicated that surface soil disturbance increased CO2 and slightly reduced CH4 emissions, while addition of mulch, as often occurs due to tree clearing on seismic lines, increased both CO2 and CH4 emissions relative to control microcosms. Field measurements indicate a shift from a net CO2 sink for the ground layer to a source in the first summer following surface disturbance, while CH4 emissions increased due to wetter conditions. While plant productivity returns to the understory plant community within a decade, elevated CH4 emissions persist. Using these results, we explore possible methods for estimating GHG emissions from seismic line soil disturbance at local to regional scales and discuss remaining uncertainties.