Improving early land reclamation performance evaluations within the Athabasca Oil Sands Region using Plant Root Simulator (PRS[TM]) to assess reclaimed upland forest soil function

日本加拿大油砂有限公司（JACOS）是一家油砂开采公司，也是 **Hangingstone油砂项目的运营商，该项目位于麦克默里堡西南约50公里处，澳新军团第一民族社区以西25公里处。JACOS是许多从事资源开采的公司之一，就像阿萨巴斯卡油砂中的那些公司一样;法律要求他们开垦土地，如果可能的话，恢复生态 ** 或作为其许可证的一部分进行补偿。一个主要的障碍是，一旦土地被开垦或恢复，演替轨迹就会有很大的变化，也就是说，很难衡量预期的效果和结果是否符合许可证的要求。结合行业和政府在减轻环境影响方面的道德责任，存在重大差距，迫切需要找到准确评估早期生态演替动态以及是否可能达到规定的功能和生产力目标的指标。这是一个巨大的和基本的科学挑战;这一挑战的工业应用甚至更大，因为如果没有明确的能力来满足土地复垦，恢复和补偿目标，就无法进行资源开采。养分循环过程中的土壤功能 ** 是最有前途的研究方向。早期的测试表明，它可以是一个准确的和成本效益的指标 ** 植被群落的建立，生产力和演替轨迹。一种特定的技术，植物根模拟器（PRSTM）探针，可能代表下一代的工具，可以帮助确定一个 ** 公司是否符合资源开采的道德和监管/许可要求，例如阿萨巴萨卡油砂。该技术并不复杂，因为它使用土壤离子交换树脂膜来指示生物可利用的土壤养分通量率;其创新之处在于其便携性、准确性和成本效益。

The Japan Canada Oil Sands Limited (JACOS) is an oil sands extraction company and operator of the**Hangingstone oil sands project located approximately 50 km southwest of Fort McMurray and 25 km west of**the First Nations' community of Anzac. JACOS is one of many companies engaged in resource extraction, like**those in the Athabasca Oil Sands; they are legally required to reclaim and if possible ecologically restore lands**or offsets as part of their license. A major barrier is the large variation in successional trajectories once land is**reclaimed or restored, i.e. it is difficult to guage whether the intended effect and outcome are being met as a**requirement of the license. Combined with the ethical responsibility industry and governments have in terms**of mitigating environmental impacts, there is in important gap and pressing need to find indicators that**accurately assess the dynamic of early ecological succession and whether the prescribed functionality and**productivity goals are likely to be met. This is an enormous and fundamental scientific challenge as is; the**industrial application of this challenge is even greater because resource extraction cannot be carried out without**clear abilities to meet land reclamation, restoration and offset goals. Soil function of nutrient cycling processes**is the most promising line of research. Early tests show that it can be an accurate and cost effective indicator of**vegetation community establishment, productivity, and successional trajectory. A specific technology, Plant**Root Simulator (PRSTM) probes, may represent the next generation of tools that can help determine if a**company is meeting the ethical and regulatory/licensing requirements of resource extaction, e.g. the Athabasaca**Oil Sands. The technology is not complex as it indicates bioavailable soil nutrient flux rates using soil ion**exchange resin membranes; its innovation is in its portability, accuracy and cost effectiveness.