Grant: Industrial Research Chairs for Colleges Grants

The environmental impact on sensitive peatlands is growing as a consequence of the rapid pace of oilsands industrial development. 'In situ' production is the extraction method used in the Peace River oilsands of Alberta to drill for bitumen which is too deep to be mined at surface level. As the number of new in situ wellsites outpaces those that are reclaimed, methods and technologies to restore peatland are essential for the health of the boreal region in northwest Alberta and for the social licence and prosperity of industry and reclamation enterprises. The NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Peatland Restoration would place NAIT in a leadership role in the emerging field of peatland restoration, and complement its well-established research in the reclamation of conventional oil and gas wellsites. Since its creation in 1995, the NAIT Boreal Research Institute (nBRI) has become a centre for applied research, providing science-driven best practices, training of highly qualified personnel, and practical input to government policy development. The Chair in Peatland Restoration would address the unique hydrology, civil earth works, and peatland plant communities required to restore sensitive peatlands impacted by non-producing or abandoned large-scale in situ wellpads. To meet the challenge of peatland restoration and support the Chair, NAIT has established a strong network of faculty expertise, nBRI reclamation specialists, university wetland scientists, Alberta Government wetlands mapping technologies, and industry and SME field specialists. nBRI has attracted significant financial and 'in kind' commitments from oil & gas companies, reclamation SMEs, and the Alberta Government.