Maximizing Natural Trembling Aspen Seedling Establishment on a Reclaimed Boreal Oil Sands Site

Pinno, Bradley D.; Errington, Ruth C.

doi:10.3368/er.33.1.43

Cited by 43 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Due to its abundance in the region, peat-based soils will be very common in the final reclaimed landscapes. Some of the potential benefits of using peat-mineral mix soil are related to higher natural tree establishment rates [6], high initial tree growth rates [7], and high nitrogen mineralization rates [8]. However, the longer term sustainability of these soils has not been verified for all ecosystem attributes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This has been done for a variety of different ecosystem properties including soil microbial communities [18], nutrient supply profiles [19], aquatic vegetation [20], and tree growth [15]. Other studies have compared selected reclamation treatments to each other, but not necessarily to natural forests, in terms of initial plant community establishment [21], tree growth [22], tree seedling establishment [6], soil nutrient availability [16], or microbial communities [23]. Most of these studies have shown significant differences in the studied ecosystem properties between different reclamation treatments and natural forests, but few studies have examined temporal changes on different reclamation site types.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Temporal Trends of Ecosystem Development on Different Site Types in Reclaimed Boreal Forests

Pinno

Hawkes

2015

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forest development after land reclamation in the oil sands mining region of northern Alberta, Canada was assessed using long-term monitoring plots from both reclaimed and natural forests. The metrics of ecosystem development analyzed included measures of plant community structure and composition and soil nutrient availability. Early seral reclamation plots were grouped by site type (dry and moist-rich) and age categories, and these were compared with mature natural forests. There were few significant differences in ecosystem metrics between reclamation site types, but natural stands showed numerous significant differences between site types. Over time, there were significant changes in most plant community metrics such as species richness and cover of plant community groups (e.g., forbs, shrubs, and non-native species), but these were still substantially different from mature forests 20 years after reclamation. Available soil nitrogen did not change over time or by reclamation site type but available soil phosphorus did, suggesting that phosphorus may be a more suitable indicator of ecosystem development. The significant temporal changes in these reclaimed ecosystems indicate that studies of ecosystem establishment and development on reclaimed areas should be conducted over the long-term, emphasizing the utility of monitoring using long-term plot networks. OPEN ACCESSForests 2015, 6 2110

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal Trends of Ecosystem Development on Different Site Types in Reclaimed Boreal Forests

Pinno

Hawkes

2015

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other studies have shown that increased competing vegetation results in less aspen seedling regeneration (Pinno and Errington, 2015) and reduced tree growth (Pitt et al, 2010). Beyond competition, however, establishing natural vegetation dynamics, such as succession, competition, and facilitation, among understory species is an important part of the land reclamation process (ESRD, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, on completely disturbed and reconstructed reclamation sites, relying on natural suckering is generally not an option without extensive direct placement of upland soil containing aspen roots . Seedling establishment events may also occur locally on specific reclamation soil types (Pinno and Errington, 2015), but they are still a relatively rare and stochastic event. Therefore, planting trees is a common practice in land reclamation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cluster Planting: Early Enhancement of Structrual Diversity in a Reclaimed Boreal Forest

Pinno¹,

Schoonmaker²,

Yücel³

et al. 2017

ASMR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Planting trees is an important step in re-establishing functioning forest ecosystems after industrial land disturbances. Conventional planting practices create forests with evenly spaced trees, at low density, which maximizes individual tree growing space but delays the time until crown closure, potentially for decades. In this study, the first operational cluster planting trial for reclaimed boreal forest, we examined first year tree growth and vegetation competition results of a cluster planting trial in which trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees were planted in clusters of 4, 10, or 20 trees with an internal spacing of 0.25 m along with non-clustered controls. Clustering of aspen seedlings had a measurable impact on the relative proportions of tree and competing vegetation cover with increased tree cover and decreased forb cover in the 10 and 20 seedling clusters compared to the controls. Average seedling height and first year height growth were similar across all cluster treatments but tended to be higher in the clusters, likely due to the suppression of competing vegetation. Operationally, there are still many questions to be answered before this practice can be implemented in a large scale across the landscape. However, based on our initial results, we believe that cluster planting has the potential to become a valuable tool for reclamation practitioners.

show abstract

“…PMM is mainly composed of lowland peat, which is in high abundance in the oil sands region, and underlying mineral soil. PMM has a high water holding capacity that has been shown to increase tree seedling establishment (Pinno and Errington 2015). If used immediately following salvage, both soil types contain native plant propagules that can aid in the restoration of boreal forest ecosystems (Schott et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth and competition among understory plants varies with reclamation soil and fertilization

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Following oil sands mining in Alberta, Canada, the main land management goal is to establish a functioning boreal forest ecosystem, including the understory plant community. One of the challenges with restoring the understory is the presence of non-native species that compete with desirable native species for resources. In a greenhouse experiment, we studied the growth of two native understory species (Galium boreale and Vicia americana) and a non-native invasive species (Matricaria perforata) grown with either intra-or interspecific neighbors across three common land reclamation soils and a nitrogen fertilizer treatment. Results: When grown by itself, V. americana aboveground biomass did not differ among soil or fertilizer treatments, likely due to its ability to fix nitrogen. Growth of M. perforata was directly related to soil nitrogen, and it had the greatest increase in biomass with fertilization. Growth and biomass of G. boreale was less than the other species, and it had the highest mortality in the nitrogen-poor soil. When grown together, the proportional biomass of M. perforata and V. americana varied with soil treatment such that M. perforata was dominant in the high-nitrogen forest floormineral mix treatment while V. americana was dominant in the low-nitrogen peat-mineral mix. Conclusions: Operationally, care should be taken when applying fertilizer to reclamation areas, as it may have an unwanted positive effect on growth for undesirable non-native plants at the expense of native species. In terms of seed mixtures, V. americana may be a good option for low inorganic nitrogen resource soils and G. boreale for high nitrogen resource soils.

show abstract

Maximizing Natural Trembling Aspen Seedling Establishment on a Reclaimed Boreal Oil Sands Site

Cited by 43 publications

References 21 publications

Temporal Trends of Ecosystem Development on Different Site Types in Reclaimed Boreal Forests

Temporal Trends of Ecosystem Development on Different Site Types in Reclaimed Boreal Forests

Cluster Planting: Early Enhancement of Structrual Diversity in a Reclaimed Boreal Forest

Growth and competition among understory plants varies with reclamation soil and fertilization

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About