Organic Soil Stockpile Management: Mitigating Environmental Footprints Through the Establishment of a Woody Vegetation Community of Native Boreal Species

有机土壤库存管理：通过建立本地北方物种的木本植被群落来减轻环境足迹

• 批准号: 561763-2021
• 负责人: Bajic, JelenaJ
• 金额: $ 5.46万
• 依托单位: Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=755240
• 关键词: Organic; Soil; Stockpile; Management; Mitigating

Alberta's boreal regions have abundant peatlands that are facing pressure from resource exploration andextraction activities. As per Alberta's Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, upland forest topsoil,organic soil from peatland areas, and subsoil with appropriate characteristics are to be salvaged and storedduring construction of in-situ facilities. Soil is a valuable resource for reclamation and may remain stored fordecades before use. Within Imperial Oil's Aspen Project study area near Ft. McMurray, Alberta, wetlands,including wooded coniferous bogs, fens, and swamps, cover 77% of the study area. Construction of accessroads, borrow pits, and the central processing facility has led to several large stockpiles of organic soil. Whilecommon practices have been developed for stockpiles of mineral origin, less is known about the effect of soilsalvage, stockpiling, and vegetation management on organic soil properties and the subsequent quality asreclamation material. This project aims to test methods to establish a woody vegetation community selectedfrom a pool of native, boreal tree and shrub species on organic soil stockpiles. In addition to common species,species of cultural significance and traditional use will be selected to test different techniques to enhancegermination and growth performance in both lab and field conditions. We will adopt and test the hitchhikerplanting method first developed for mineral soil stockpiles. We will also assess the potential of spontaneousrevegetation from nearby sources and seed banks within the salvaged soil. A productive woody vegetationcommunity can help stabilize soil and control erosion, regulate soil moisture and runoff, prevent weedinvasion, and offset greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing organic matter. Through the propermanagement of organic soil stockpiles, the industry will be able to reduce its footprint, conserve soil, andpreserve or produce high-quality reclamation material for future use. Ultimately, improved soil managementwill result in better reclamation outcomes and restoration of disturbed boreal landscape providing higherenvironmental quality for all those living in the region.

艾伯塔省的北方地区拥有丰富的泥炭地，面临着资源探索和提取活动的压力。根据艾伯塔省的环境保护和增强法，高地森林表土，来自泥炭地地区的有机土壤以及具有适当特征的地下土壤，应挽救并储存原始设施。土壤是填海的宝贵资源，使用前可能会保存福特赛车。在英尺附近的帝国石油的阿斯彭项目研究区域内。麦克默里（McMurray），艾伯塔省（Alberta），湿地，包括树木繁茂的针叶沼泽，羊毛和沼泽，覆盖了研究区域的77％。建造通道，借入坑和中央加工设施的建造导致了几种大量的有机土壤库存。尽管已经针对矿物质的库存开发了实践，但对土壤植入，储存和植被管理对有机土壤特性以及随后的质量质量的Asreclamation材料的影响却鲜为人知。该项目旨在测试在有机土壤库存上选择一个原生，北方树和灌木种类的木质植被群落的方法。除了共同的物种外，还将选择具有文化意义和传统用途的物种来测试不同的技术，以增强实验室和田间条件下的增长和生长性能。我们将采用并测试最初针对矿物土壤储存的hitchhikerplanting方法。我们还将评估附近来源和被打捞的土壤中的种子库的自发蔬菜的潜力。富有成效的木质植被社区可以帮助稳定土壤和控制侵蚀，调节土壤水分和径流，防止除草性，并从分解有机物中偏移温室气体排放。通过对有机土壤库存的预测，该行业将能够减少其占地面积，保护土壤，并提供或生产高质量的开垦材料，以供将来使用。最终，改善的土壤管理将带来更好的填海结果，并恢复受干扰的北方景观，为所有居住在该地区的人提供更高的环境质量。