Early Ecosystem Genesis Using LFH And Peat Cover Soils In Athabasca Oil Sands Reclamation

Archibald, Heather A.

doi:10.7939/r3hm47

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 98 publications

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“…The PMM consisted of 50.1% sand, 31.5% silt, and 18.4% clay with 0.89 Mg m −3 bulk density [4]. At 10 cm depth FMM had 19.5-31.4 % saturation, 18.1-25.4 % field capacity, 3.7-10.1 % wilting point and 12.6-16.6 % water holding capacity; PMM had 25.2-46.4 % saturation, 19.9-38.6 % field capacity, 5.1-16.1 % wilting point and 11.4-25.2 % water holding capacity [1,16,24,25]. Plots were separated by 5 m and blocks by 10 m, with a 10 m buffer from the edge.…”

Section: Reclamation Treatments and Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Coarse Woody Debris on Soil Temperature and Water Content in Two Reconstructed Soils in Reclaimed Boreal Forest

2022

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Coarse woody debris (CWD) and cover soils are used to expedite ecological processes in reclaimed boreal forests after oil sands mining. Soil water content and soil temperature are considered key factors for revegetation during mine reclamation as they impact soil surface and atmosphere interactions and plant growth. However, the effects of CWD and cover soils on soil water content and temperature are not well studied. This study assessed the impact of CWD size (large, small) and type (spruce: Picea mariana, aspen: Populus tremuloides) on soil water content and temperature in two soils constructed with forest floor-mineral mix (FMM) and peat-mineral mix (PMM)) at oil sands reclamation sites. Annual and summer precipitation showed year-to-year variability; mean air temperature did not. Soil cover type had a greater impact on moderating soil water content than CWD, with PMM having a stronger influence on water content and temperature than FMM. Adding CWD increased soil water content more in FMM than PMM, and the effect on soil temperature was mostly observed during the summer months. In PMM, spruce small CWD was associated with greater water content, whereas there was no distinct differentiation between CWD size and type in FFM. This study suggests application of CWD in FMM would be more beneficial than in PMM for reclamation.

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Section: Reclamation Treatments and Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Coarse Woody Debris on Soil Temperature and Water Content in Two Reconstructed Soils in Reclaimed Boreal Forest

2022

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Islands – Soil Patches and Plant Community Dynamics on a New Oil Sands Reclamation Design

Pinno¹,

Sherr²,

Errington³

et al. 2016

JASMR

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The goal of land reclamation after oil sands mining in the boreal forest of northern Alberta, Canada is to re-establish functioning forest ecosystems, including the development of a natural plant community. Reclamation practices include the use of operational reclamation soils derived from upland forest soils (referred to as forest floor-mineral mix (FFMM)), which has higher plant diversity, and lowland based peat-mineral mix (PMM), which has greater tree regeneration. Building from experience in forest harvesting practices and natural landscape patterns, the "Islands" reclamation concept was put into practice in a new reclamation area established in 2015 with patches or islands of differing sizes and shapes of FFMM placed within a matrix of the more abundant PMM. These islands of FFMM are intended to serve as lifeboats and colonization centres for native biota. Initial studies are focusing on determining the optimal size and spacing of the FFMM patches. Plant species area curves were developed and show that patch sizes of at least 671-960 m 2 are recommended to allow initial establishment of native plant species, and in particular woody species, with smaller patch sizes favouring non-native weedy species. Initial spatial patterns indicate no relationship between plant species richness and distance to FFMM-PMM soil boundary with the rate and distance of spread of native plants from the FFMM patches being an important monitoring consideration in future years. This work on the Islands approach will help in the development of more efficient and effective reclamation practices which take advantage of the ecological differences in available reclamation soils.

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Alternative Native Boreal Seed and Plant Delivery Systems for Oil Sands Reclamation

Schoonmaker¹,

Sobze²,

Fraser³

et al. 2014

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Early Ecosystem Genesis Using LFH And Peat Cover Soils In Athabasca Oil Sands Reclamation

Cited by 3 publications

References 98 publications

Effects of Coarse Woody Debris on Soil Temperature and Water Content in Two Reconstructed Soils in Reclaimed Boreal Forest

Effects of Coarse Woody Debris on Soil Temperature and Water Content in Two Reconstructed Soils in Reclaimed Boreal Forest

Islands – Soil Patches and Plant Community Dynamics on a New Oil Sands Reclamation Design

Alternative Native Boreal Seed and Plant Delivery Systems for Oil Sands Reclamation

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