Restoration approach influences carbon exchange at in-situ oil sands exploration sites in east-central Alberta

Murray, Kimberley R.; Bird, Melanie; Strack, Maria; Cody, Michael; Xu, Bin

doi:10.1007/s11273-021-09784-x

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Mounding programs often report the targeted height of mounds at creation, which is quite variable. For instance, at oil sands exploration pads in Alberta, Lieffers et al (2017) reported mound heights of 8.9–39.6 cm, Caners et al (2019) reported heights of 20.6–40.8, and Murray et al (2021) reported a targeted height of 60 cm. Likewise, on seismic lines, mound heights ranged from 20 cm (Schmidt et al 2022) to 40–60 cm (Pinzon et al unpublished data) and 80 cm as part of this study (Filicetti et al 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the benefits of mounding when used as a silvicultural approach (Sutton 1993; Caners et al 2019), particularly in the context of improving seedling establishment in areas disturbed by oil and gas exploration activities (Filicetti et al 2019), ongoing research is being focused to better understand the impacts of this treatment on site conditions and other ecological properties in peatlands (e.g., Echiverri et al 2020; Murray et al 2021; Schmidt et al 2022). Nonetheless, the application of this treatment may have important implications for the successful recovery of peatlands disturbed by oil and gas development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil mounding as a restoration approach of seismic lines in boreal peatlands: implications on microtopography

Pinzón

Dabros

Hoffman

2022

Restoration Ecology

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Seismic lines—narrow and straight corridors from which overstory has been removed to allow access for oil and gas exploration—are a major human footprint in the boreal forest of western Canada. With slow to minimal recovery of tree cover along these corridors, seismic lines have become a persistent landscape feature affecting connectivity and habitat quality in forested ecosystems, particularly in wetland areas. Soil mounding is a common ground preparation treatment widely applied along seismic lines, with the expectation that it will enhance tree seedling establishment and improve the return of tree cover to disturbed areas. However, much is still unknown about environmental responses following treatment application. In this study, we compared the ground microtopography in treated and untreated seismic lines, as well as the relative elevation between treated and untreated seismic lines with their adjacent treed peatland. The ground elevation in both treated and untreated sites was significantly lower on seismic lines relative to their adjacent treed peatland, with a greater elevation difference in treated areas. Likewise, ground microtopography was orders of magnitude higher along treated areas compared to the natural variation in the adjacent treed peatland. Given the important changes in relative elevation and topography following treatment application, our results suggest the potential for eventual treatment success may be more unpredictable than expected; this may have critical consequences for other ecological properties beyond the restoration goal of tree establishment and return of tree cover.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil mounding as a restoration approach of seismic lines in boreal peatlands: implications on microtopography

Pinzón

Dabros

Hoffman

2022

Restoration Ecology

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“…Aboveground and belowground biomass of trees was estimated using allometric equations derived from regressions of dry biomass and tree height or diameter at breast height (DBH; 1.4 m) (Murray et al 2021). Three 10 x 10 m plots (HS-1, HS-2 and HS-3) were laid out within the swamp and all individual trees were identified and counted (see Figure S1).…”

Section: Tree Inventory and Biomassmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon stocks and fluxes from a boreal conifer swamp: filling a knowledge gap for modelling the boreal C cycle

Davidson,

Davies,

Wegener

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The carbon (C) dynamics of boreal coniferous swamps are a largely understudied component of wetland carbon cycling. We investigated the above- and below-ground carbon stocks and growing season carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes from a representative wooded coniferous swamp in northern Alberta, Canada in 2022. Tree inventories, understory vegetation biomass and peat cores were collected across three sub-sites within the broader swamp, with gas flux collars placed in the dominant plant communities present. Alongside the C flux measurements, environmental variables such as water table depth, soil temperature and growing season understory green leaf phenology were measured. Our results show that these wooded coniferous swamps store large volumes of organic C in their biomass and soil (134 kg C m-2), comparable with other wetland and forest types, although 95% of the total C stock at our site was within the soil organic carbon. We also found that understory CO2 and CH4 fluxes indicated that the ground layer of the site is a source of greenhouse gases (GHG) to the atmosphere across the growing season. However, we did not measure litterfall input, tree GHG fluxes or net primary productivity of the overstory, therefore we are not able to say whether the site is an overall source of C to the atmosphere. This study provides a much-needed insight into the C dynamics of these under-valued wetland ecosystems and we highlight the need for a coordinated effort across boreal regions to try to improve inventories of C stocks and fluxes.

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“…Aboveground and belowground biomass of trees was estimated using allometric equations derived from regressions of dry biomass and tree height or diameter at breast height (DBH, 1.4 m) (Murray et al, 2021). Three 10 × 10 m plots (HS-1, HS-2, and HS-3) were laid out within the swamp and all individual trees were identified and counted (see Figure S1 in Supporting Information S1).…”

Section: Tree Inventory and Biomassmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon Stocks and Fluxes From a Boreal Conifer Swamp: Filling a Knowledge Gap for Understanding the Boreal C Cycle

Davidson,

Davies,

Wegener

et al. 2024

JGR Biogeosciences

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The carbon (C) dynamics of boreal coniferous swamps are a largely understudied component of wetland carbon cycling. We investigated the above‐ and below‐ground carbon stocks and growing season carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes from a representative boreal coniferous swamp in northern Alberta, Canada in 2022. Tree inventories, understory vegetation biomass and peat cores were collected across three sub‐sites within the broader swamp, with gas flux collars placed in the dominant plant communities present. Alongside the C flux measurements, environmental variables such as water table depth, soil temperature and growing season understory green leaf phenology were measured. Our results show that these boreal coniferous swamps store large volumes of organic C in their biomass and soil (134 kg C m−2), comparable with other wetland and forest types, although 95% of the total C stock at our site was within the soil organic carbon. We also found that understory CO2 and CH4 fluxes indicated that the ground layer of the site is a source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere across the growing season. However, we did not measure litterfall input, tree GHG fluxes or net primary productivity of the overstory, therefore we are not able to say whether the site is an overall source of C to the atmosphere. This study provides a much‐needed insight into the C dynamics of these under‐valued wetland ecosystems, and we highlight the need for a coordinated effort across boreal regions to try to improve inventories of C stocks and fluxes.

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Restoration approach influences carbon exchange at in-situ oil sands exploration sites in east-central Alberta

Cited by 6 publications

References 39 publications

Soil mounding as a restoration approach of seismic lines in boreal peatlands: implications on microtopography

Soil mounding as a restoration approach of seismic lines in boreal peatlands: implications on microtopography

Carbon stocks and fluxes from a boreal conifer swamp: filling a knowledge gap for modelling the boreal C cycle

Carbon Stocks and Fluxes From a Boreal Conifer Swamp: Filling a Knowledge Gap for Understanding the Boreal C Cycle

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