Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

There are over 240,000 km of linear features in the leased oil sands regions and their cumulative impact on boreal wetlands are complex and difficult to mitigate. For heavy equipment travel, access roads are constructed by placing mineral soil on a geotextile liner over a flattened peat surface. Even with drainage features such as culverts, these mineral linear features have a significant impact on the peatland hydrology, chemistry and vegetation over a long period of time (the average life span of a mineral road is ~50 yrs). Reclamation of mineral roads is costly and presents serious challenges to practitioners. There are no known cases of successful peatland restoration of mineral linear features in Alberta.A 450 metre road built with geotextile and mineral fill in a poor fen in NE Alberta provides a unique opportunity to develop and demonstrate field techniques to facilitate cross water flow, promote vegetation establishment, and minimize chemical influence of mineral substrate. The project will fill critical gaps in reclamation science and peatland management. Best management practices (BMPs) and technical knowledge developed from this trial will benefit a broad audience, including end users faced with managing sensitive peatland ecosystems in boreal Alberta. Training of HQPs will enable consulting firms to meet the demand of restoring critical peatland ecosystems. This in turn will help industries, particularly oil and gas companies, to reduce their ecological footprint and maintain competitiveness through responsible exploration and production.This is critical to the economic growth of Alberta's resource driven economy and the long-term health of Canada's boreal region.