Innovation Anthology #534:

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After 30 years, a dream has come true for plant specialist Ann Smreciu of Wild Rose Consulting.

That’s a boreal seed banking program called the Oil Sands Vegetation Cooperative.

As Ann explains, six oil sands companies have joined forces to harvest seeds from native plants for future reclamation.

ANN SMRECIU: As the oil sands development grows up in northeastern part of the province, larger and larger tracts of land are being disturbed. In order to reclaim these, we’re going to need many of the native plants that exist in the boreal forest now. And we would like to ensure that not only do we save the individual species, but that we save some of the genetic diversity. That’s what makes a species resilient to being preserved over time. As the area of disturbance increases, certainly there are fewer and fewer natural areas in which to harvest the seed. And one of the things that we try and do is not create problems by over-harvesting natural areas.

Seeds collected by Ann Smreciu and her colleagues will be cleaned and then stored for up to 30 years at a special provincial seed bank in Smoky Lake, Alberta.

Thanks today to Syncrude.

I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

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Syncrude

Program Date: 2013-02-14