Research article summary (published 21 Jun 2009):

Recreating a functioning forest soil in reclaimed oil sands in northern alberta: an approach for measuring success in ecological restoration.

Full Abstract

During oil-sands mining all vegetation, soil, overburden, and oil sand is removed, leaving pits several kilometers wide and up to 100 m deep. These pits are reclaimed through a variety of treatments using subsoil or a mixed peat-mineral soil cap. Using nonmetric multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis of measurements of ecosystem function, reclamation treatments of several age classes were compared with a range of natural forest ecotypes to discover which treatments had created ecosystems similar to natural forest ecotypes and at what age this occurred. Ecosystem function was estimated from bioavailable nutrients, plant community composition, litter decomposition rate, and development of a surface organic layer. On the reclamation treatments, availability of nitrate, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur were generally higher than in the natural forest ecotypes, while ammonium, P, K, and Mn were generally lower. Reclamation treatments tended to have more bare ground, grasses, and forbs but less moss, lichen, shrubs, trees, or woody debris than natural forests. Rates of litter decomposition were lower on all reclamation treatments. Development of an organic layer appeared to be facilitated by the presence of shrubs. With repeated applications of fertilizers, measured variables for the peat-mineral amendments fell within the range of natural variability at about 20 yr. An intermediate subsoil layer reduced the need for fertilizer and conditions resembling natural forests were reached about 15 yr after a single fertilizer application. Treatments over tailings sand receiving only one application of fertilizer appeared to be on a different trajectory to a novel ecosystem.

Author information

Author/s: Rowland, S M (SM); Prescott, C E (CE); Grayston, S J (SJ); Quideau, S A (SA); Bradfield, G E (GE);

Affiliation: Dep. of Forest Sciences, Univ. of British Columbia, 3041-2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. cindy.prescott(-atsign-)ubc.ca

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Journal of environmental quality (J Environ Qual), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2009 Jul-Aug; vol 38 (issue 4) : pp 1580-90

Dates: Created 2009/06/24; Completed 2009/08/14;

PMID: 19549934, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 8/21/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Alberta Biological Availability Cluster Analysis Conservation of Natural Resources

Ecology Environmental Remediation Soil Trees

Associated Chemicals: Soil (0)

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