OSE BMPs

On February 15 and 16 2012, the Oil Sands Leadership Initiative (OSLI) Land Stewardship Working Group (LSWG) held a tour of oil sands exploration (OSE) sites to share construction and reclamation best practices and to follow-up on previous tours (October 2010, February 2011 and October 2011). The winter tour event was valuable in illustrating challenges related to lease construction with frozen ground conditions and small lease sizes during the construction phase of core hole exploration. On October 24 and 25 2012 the OSLI LSWG held another tour, this one more focused on viewing the results of reclamation activities on revegetation. This report covers both 2012 tours.

Construction BMPs from Feb 2012 Tour: (1) pile LFH and topsoil with CWM and return all at once in final stages; (2) place CWM (logs and chunks) on surface or partially buried – holds moisture; (3) protect integrity of woody materials during re-spread of materials over site; (4) leave more woody materials on upland than lowland sites (50-150 cubic m per ha). Try to leave full trees resting on ground; (5) save pine cones to spread during reclamation; (6) less disturbance, quicker recovery when local materials used to level leases for drilling; (7) use snow as marker for cut and fill sites to reduce disturbance at reclamation. Reclamation BMPs from Oct 2012 Tour: (1) conventional activity to restore micro-topography in black spruce areas (mounding, ripping, etc.) accommodated in regulations – doesn’t need specific approvals; (2) be specific about woody material use when waiver requested. State wood is for reclamation, erosion prevention, and soil stabilization, and state when less merchantable species (birch, black spruce, balsam poplar, crooked pine) used; (3) where site matches surrounding topography, upon abandonment of well no additional re-contouring required; (4) application should be explicit in noting planting activities will occur the following summer and that ATVs will use routes.