Innovation Anthology #463:
Unlike regrowing a cutblock after logging, regrowing a forest after mining for oil sands is a major endeavour.
Overcoming those challenges is the focus of research for Dr. Simon Landhausser. He holds an NSERC Industry Chair in Forest Land Reclamation at the University of Alberta.
Dr. Landhausser outlined some of that research at the recent CONRAD conference on oil sands reclamation.
DR. SIMON LANDHAUSSER: My work focuses mostly on the establishment of trees. Several grad students are working in the area of seedling quality. They are looking at what makes a seedling a good seedling. What helps the seedling to establish on the site. I also look at areas which relate to vegetation establishment other than the trees. So what grows in the understorey or potential understorey of a forest? And how is that influenced by the types of substrates that we have on these reclamation site? So yes, it’s a wide range of research that all circles around the plant and how the plant interacts with it’s environment.
Dr. Landhausser says along with light, moisture, and nutrients, success really depends on reconstructing the forest soil.
Thanks today to SYNCRUDE
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
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Program Date: 2012-03-08