#825: Interim Reclamation Demonstration Experiment with NAIT and ConocoPhillips

Robert Albricht

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ConocoPhillips is collaborating with NAIT, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, to develop better ways to store soil for future reclamation of
the oil sands.

As Robert Albricht explains, his group is researching what he calls "interim reclamation" – where a young forest would be allowed grow up the mountains of soil rather than weeds.

Robert Albricht is the Land Stewardship Coordinator for ConocoPhilips.

ROBERT ALBRICHT :    So what they’ve help do is  structure an experiment to lay out different treatment, different site preparation.  We tried some mounding with a hoe.  We tried some corner blading with a cat.  We put woody material on with a hoe.  We left some areas without wood.    So we got a range of ecological conditions.  And then we’ve got a range of vegetation treatments.  So they’ve provided the experimental design to test these in a more rigourous manner   So we’ve created a demonstration site at our facility where we can take operators and  show different combinations of planting prescriptions.  

Robert Albricht says after only two years, the experimental site is already exploding with plant and animal biodiversity

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I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

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Program Date: 2016-11-21