Document: ANN-3-10-5

Reclaiming industrial disturbances: effects of landscape processes

NAETH, M.A.*

University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1 Canada ¹

Abstract:
Industrial activities associated with natural resource exploration and development can cause large landscape level disturbances and completely disrupt the natural functioning of ecosystems. Restoration of these disturbed ecosystems requires an understanding of fundamental ecological processes (soils, vegetation and hydrology focused) on a landscape level and mechanisms of ecosystem development over time. The restoration techniques to be discussed are from a variety of ecosystems in western Canada at various stages of development after disturbances from coal mines, oil and gas pipelines, oil and gas wells, oilsands and hydrocarbon spills. Disturbance altered vegetation, ground cover, soil physical/chemical/biological properties, hydrologic processes, litter production and decomposition, runoff and erosion. Examples of restoration techniques incorporated seeding time, mowing, grazing, herbicides, fertilizers, amendments like fly ash, sodding, trench width adjustments, nondormant season bioengineering and dewatering. These techniques focused on a particular ecosystem component and the functional processes associated with it on the landscape. Research on ecosystem development after disturbance assisted in determining what techniques could be used to speed up large scale restoration and the influence of landscape level processes on the specific components being modified.

Keywords: industrial disturbance, reclamation, restoration, soil, plant, water, mine, pipelines, wellsites

This abstract is being presented at: 4:00 PM in session:
Symposium # 5: Incorporating Landscape Processes in Ecological Restoration.