Longer Term Revegetation Responses to wellsite construction and reclamation practices

This research evaluates forest reclamation on historic wellsites in northern Alberta by comparing tree, shrub, and herbaceous communities across low and high disturbance treatments. Thirty-three experimental sites were constructed and reclaimed using varied soil and woody material management practices, including mulch retention, whole slash, root salvage, and supplementary tree planting. Long-term ecological recovery was assessed through statistical analyses and vegetation comparisons to nearby forest references and cutblocks. The ultimate goal was to identify practices that foster desirable successional trajectories and reduce the expansion of industrial footprint.

Results revealed that low-disturbance construction methods, especially those using whole slash during reclamation, were most effective in promoting plant species composition and forest structure similar to undisturbed reference sites. When soil excavation was unavoidable, root salvage techniques showed strong potential for ecological recovery, yielding the highest plant diversity and resemblance to forest controls. Supplementary tree planting contributed to increased tree canopy development and enhanced biodiversity, particularly in treatments where soil was mixed and competition from grasses and shrubs was minimized.