Effects of land reclamation practices on the productivity of young trembling aspen and white spruce on a reclaimed oil sands mining site in northern Alberta

Tremblay, Pierre-Yves; Thiffault, Évelyne; Pinno, Bradley D.

doi:10.1007/s11056-019-09705-0

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Broadleaf trees have characteristically high‐water use per unit leaf area, thus requiring more water than coniferous stands (Huang et al, 2015; Pinno & Errington, 2015; Strilesky et al, 2017; Tremblay et al, 2019). P. tremuloides are ubiquitous across the sub‐humid WBP due to their ability to establish deep clonal rooting systems (Blanken et al, 2001; Brown et al, 2010; Cienciala et al, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the vertical water exchange of dominant tree species in a reclaimed landscape in the Athabasca oil sands region, Alberta

et al. 2022

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Large-scale oil sands mining in the Athabasca oil sands region has caused significant disturbance to forest and peatland ecosystems of the Western Boreal Plains in northeastern Alberta, Canada. Reclamation of these ecosystems has faced many challenges, including successful re-vegetation of uplands. The trajectory of reclaimed uplands depends on the community structure of tree species, which in turn influences vertical water exchanges via increases in rainfall interception and transpiration.The trajectory therefore influences vadose zone moisture dynamics and reduces water available for recharge to adjacent reclaimed peatlands. The objectives of this study were to assess trends in transpiration of dominant tree species in a reclaimed upland and quantify canopy-rainfall dynamics and its impact on near-surface soil moisture regime and tree water use. To assess these trends, throughfall, interception and stemflow were measured throughout the growing season. Tree transpiration was measured using sap flow sensors, along with soil tension measurements using soil tensiometers. Results indicate that tree transpiration and water use are controlled by water availability, and at this stage (6 years since reclamation), canopy interception has begun to play an important role in partitioning growing season rainfall. At this time in canopy development, transpiration accounted for 52% of water losses from the system, with broadleaf trees contributing 71%. However, coniferous trees had greater interception capabilities, as Picea mariana intercepted 35% and Pinus banksiana 32%, while broadleaf Populus tremuloides and Populus balsamifera contributed 29% and 26%, respectively. As this reclaimed upland canopy continues to evolve, moisture partitioning, including groundwater recharge to the adjacent fen will continue to change over time, suggesting that the successional pathway of constructed watersheds is strongly influenced by hydrometeorological conditions within the first decade.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the vertical water exchange of dominant tree species in a reclaimed landscape in the Athabasca oil sands region, Alberta

et al. 2022

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“…This is related to the low pH of the soil, the content of organic matter in the soil and the influence of grain size distribution. In this case, it is advisable to apply remediation to restore the soil’s utilisation value and to monitor the contaminated area (Park et al 2011 ; Bolan et al 2014 ; Yuan et al 2015 ; Caporale and Violante 2016 ; Cristaldi et al 2017 ; Liu et al 2018 ; tremblay et al 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concentration of trace elements in forest soil affected by former timber depot

Warczyk

Wanic

Antonkiewicz

et al. 2020

Environ Monit Assess

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Certain parts of global forests show elevated concentrations of trace elements as a result of industry processes, places such as wood depots and plant protection products, which together degrade the forest environment. This paper examines a timber depot that used wood preservatives in World War II located in the Warcino Forest Inspectorate (Poland). It presents monitory findings on the degree to which the upper soil layer in the depot area has been contaminated by wood preservatives. Within two forest divisions, a network of soil extraction points was established, distinguished into three separate categories that demarcate the degrees of vegetation coverage and growth of the common pine. These were Area A (area with a pine stand that is several dozen years-old), Area B (areas with a pine stand that is approximately a dozen years-old) and Area C (areas without a pine stand). The Cu concentration in the surface categories was respectively 141.03/187.54/834.43 mg·kg−1. Above 600% in Cu concentration was noted in category C in comparison to category A. It was found that the content of most elements (B, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Zn) did not exceed the permissible values according to the Regulation of the Minister of the Environment on soil quality standards; however, in the case of Cu, the limit values established for forest and agricultural soils were exceeded, with the highest Cu contents found in the ‘C’ category. The results obtained confirm that the wood protection chemicals, such as copper sulphate, affected the long-term pollution of forest soils.

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“…They are conducive to the rapid restoration of the ecological environment in lands that have undergone subsidence, the establishment of a sound mechanism for controlling subsiding land due to coal mining, and sustainable socioeconomic development. (Figure c) …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Figure 1c). 8 Guo et al 9 collected values for various influencing factors using ArcGIS software and combined it with a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to comprehensively evaluate the geological environment of the Baoding coal mine. Xiao et al 10 established a comprehensive ecological risk assessment model for coal mines using ecological risk assessment theory and proposed appropriate risk prevention measures with application to the Dongtan coal mine in Shandong province.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mathematical Evaluation on the Control of Mining-Induced Ground Subsidence in Thick Loose Strata

Wang

Shao

et al. 2021

ACS Omega

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Coal mining under thick loose strata in North China leads to ground subsidence, which is a natural result of hydromechanical coupling (fluid flow coupled with solid deformation). Therefore, the land surrounding the mining areas is greatly damaged. In this study, the combined weight (CW) method and the fuzzy matter-element analysis (FMEA) method were used to analyze and evaluate the control effect of subsiding land. Overall, 20 sets of geological samples were collected from this area. The influencing factors and the corresponding weights for the control effect of subsiding land were comprehensively analyzed, and an FMEA model was built to predict and verify the results. The results showed that (1) the two evaluation indicators with the most significant impact on land reclamation were the degree of integration and the economic and social benefits and (2) among the 20 sets of samples selected, the predicted conclusions of 17 sets were consistent with the actual engineering situations, which led to an accuracy of 85%. In other words, the CW-FMEA model showed good reliability for evaluating the control effect of subsiding land, which can provide scientific references for control and quality evaluations of land subsidence due to coal mining.

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Effects of land reclamation practices on the productivity of young trembling aspen and white spruce on a reclaimed oil sands mining site in northern Alberta

Cited by 9 publications

References 53 publications

Quantifying the vertical water exchange of dominant tree species in a reclaimed landscape in the Athabasca oil sands region, Alberta

Quantifying the vertical water exchange of dominant tree species in a reclaimed landscape in the Athabasca oil sands region, Alberta

Concentration of trace elements in forest soil affected by former timber depot

Mathematical Evaluation on the Control of Mining-Induced Ground Subsidence in Thick Loose Strata

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