NAIT researchers investigate new paths to forest reclamation

Results will “challenge the status quo” of current practices

What should a forest do? In a way, that question is central to the work being done by NAIT’s Dr. Amanda Schoonmaker, NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Boreal Reclamation and Reforestation.

In many cases in Alberta, the answer is that it should do everything it did before it supported industrial activities. That is, an intact forest should provide wildlife habitat, sequester carbon, purify water, and more. Once resource extraction is over, the Alberta Energy Regulator says it expects that companies have a plan to "return the land back to how it looked and how it was used (or similarly) before development took place," allowing it to resume its own natural, day-to-day operations.

Based in NAIT's applied research department at the Centre for Boreal Research near Peace River, Schoonmaker is dedicated to ensuring the success of that reclamation process. To that end, she and her team are supported by ConocoPhillips Canada, operator of the Surmont in-situ oil sands site near Fort McMurray and the Montney development, an unconventional resources play in northeastern B.C.

This fall, the company committed $1.5 million over 10 years for studies at both locations, adding to investments made starting in 2014. The funding will go toward exploring new directions in reclamation and continued monitoring of previous efforts at its sites.

The work is already paying off. “I was on all of these sites when they started,” says Schoonmaker. “I saw what they looked like initially, and what they are now.”

Every time she has a chance to revisit a study location and take new measurements, Schoonmaker is amazed, she adds, “because it’s becoming forest.”

Learn more about the types of applied research being done at NAIT

Expanding the reclamation “toolkit”

photo of a lush, green field in Alberta's boreal forest with tall grasses and wildflowers stretches out beneath a clear blue sky. A line of dense trees borders the field on the far side.

“The Boreal Forest Reclamation project has allowed us to experiment and try different techniques that challenge the status quo of reclamation practices,” says Robert Albricht, ConocoPhillips Canada supervisor of environmental operations.

Those challenges have taken several forms. With the renewed funding, they’ll focus on three areas, one being ongoing observation of previous trials.

Among those is a new approach to maintaining stockpiled soil. This is the rich growing material stripped from the surface of sites intended for industrial activities (such as well pads, plant or camp facilities) and set aside for reuse years or even decades later. To preserve it, it’s typically planted with grasses. “But this is forest soil, not grassland soil,” Schoonmaker points out.

At Surmont, her team has planted a soil stockpile with trees and shrubs to better maintain its health. In addition, as they had established plots with varying densities of trees, they will determine how many plants are needed to limit other concerns, including soil erosion and weed management.

For industry, there’s an added benefit: “This might actually not be any more expensive,” says Schoonmaker.

“We're listening to what the challenges are and trying to design appropriate applied research to address those challenges.”

Another ongoing project involves reforesting in clusters of plants, rather than in a conventional grid-like spacings, more quickly regenerating hospitable habitats. “You've got all of these patches of forest now,” says Schoonmaker. “So there's more places for wildlife to hide. It's not a big open area.”

Her second focus looks at uprooting accepted practices when practical. Weeds are inevitable opportunists on bare soil, a problem previously addressed with herbicides and hand pulling. But the question her team would ask is whether those activities do more harm than good.

“The more you redisturb a system, the more you’re setting it back,” says Schoonmaker. She believes the problem might be best handled by nature. Given time, those weeds may be naturally pushed out by desirable forest species.

Other work is ongoing or starting, guided by ConocoPhillips Canada’s current and emerging reclamation needs. “We're listening to what the challenges are and trying to design appropriate applied research to address those challenges,” says Schoonmaker. It’s making a difference.

“Our partnership with NAIT has been instrumental in driving innovation and excellence in our reclamation efforts,” says Albricht. “Investing in boreal forest reclamation research is important to ensure we understand the factors that lead to success, expand our reclamation ‘toolkit’ and reduce uncertainty in our reclamation work.”

An impact across Alberta

photo of a cluster of tall, purple fireweed flowers standing out against a backdrop of lush green foliage, with a few yellow wildflowers visible in the foreground.

The investment may also prove important for the industry as a whole, along with the rest of an Alberta dependent on boreal forest that covers more than 58% of its land base. That’s why the third area of focus enabled by the funding is on sharing what’s being learned.

Schoonmaker and her team will share results from the sites through presentations, technical notes, papers, site tours, webinars and more.

Sharing will also happen directly with learners. Students come from NAIT and across Canada to participate in fieldwork at the Centre for Boreal Research. (When researching ConocoPhillips Canada sites, they’re hosted at the company's camps.) For Schoonmaker, that’s an opportunity to plant seeds for future generations who will continue to influence reclamation practice and policy.

“You don't know where these students are going to end up,” she says. “And we have an opportunity to mould some of that experience.”

In the meantime, Schoonmaker is grateful to have the chance to shape the forest itself. Sites planted at the outset of the partnership with ConocoPhillips Canada have developed to the point where they may be unremarkable to most visitors, she points out.

“You would have no idea in parts of it because of the level of regrowth,” says Schoonmaker. “Continuing to see that is really very rewarding.”

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