#824: Interim Reclamation Proposed For Soil Stockpiles
Robert Albricht is the Land Stewardship Coordinator with ConocoPhillips.
He recently spoke at an Applied Research Symposium at NAIT, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
ConocoPhillips has a SAGD oil sands operation called Surmont in northeastern Alberta.
Soil dug up during construction must be saved for future reclamation. But the piles can sit there for decades, covered in weeds becoming a blight on the boreal landscape.
Robert Albricht wants to change that.
ROBERT ALBRiCHT : The current practice creates quite smooth packed hillsides, 3 to 1 slope very nicely packed down with heavy equipment which is not really a great place to grow a forest. So the first step is to convince our own people and get our own processes aligned so we create a rougher surface with some organic materials on it. So in this example, we introduce some old logs onto the top of the pile to add a woody component to it which helps to provide microsites as well as the wood holds moisture in place and provides additional micro-climate for the plants.
Robert Albricht says this sets the scene for something new called "interim reclamation" which encourages natural forest regeneration..
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
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Program Date: 2016-11-17