Field Testing of Selected Salt-Tolerant Screened Balsam Poplar (<i>Populus balsamifera</i> L.) Clones for Use in Reclamation around End-Pit Lakes Associated with Bitumen Extraction in Northern Alberta
For the oil sands mine sites in northern Alberta, the presence of salty process affected water, a byproduct of the hot-water bitumen extraction process, is anticipated to pose a challenge on some reconstructed landforms. The fundamental challenge when re-vegetating these sites is to ensure not only...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/5/572 |
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| author | Yue Hu David Kamelchuk Richard Krygier Barb R. Thomas |
| author_facet | Yue Hu David Kamelchuk Richard Krygier Barb R. Thomas |
| author_sort | Yue Hu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | For the oil sands mine sites in northern Alberta, the presence of salty process affected water, a byproduct of the hot-water bitumen extraction process, is anticipated to pose a challenge on some reconstructed landforms. The fundamental challenge when re-vegetating these sites is to ensure not only survival, but vigorous growth where plants are subjected to conditions of high electrical conductivity owing to salts in process affected water that may be contained in the substrate. Finding plants suitable for high salt conditions has offered the opportunity for Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Al-Pac) to investigate the potential role of using native balsam poplar (<i>Populus balsamifera</i> L.) as a key reclamation species for the oil sands region. Two years of greenhouse screening (2012 and 2013) of 222 balsam poplar clones from Al-Pac’s balsam poplar tree improvement program, using process affected discharge water from an oil sands processing facility in Ft. McMurray, has suggested an opportunity to select genetically suitable native clones of balsam poplar for use in reclamation of challenging sites affected by process water. In consideration of the results from both greenhouse and field testing, there is an opportunity to select genetically suitable native clones of balsam poplar that are tolerant to challenging growing conditions, making them more suitable for planting on saline sites. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:44:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-63cff9835f814ba4bfe2d55717fa440c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:44:17Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-63cff9835f814ba4bfe2d55717fa440c2023-11-21T18:12:04ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072021-05-0112557210.3390/f12050572Field Testing of Selected Salt-Tolerant Screened Balsam Poplar (<i>Populus balsamifera</i> L.) Clones for Use in Reclamation around End-Pit Lakes Associated with Bitumen Extraction in Northern AlbertaYue Hu0David Kamelchuk1Richard Krygier2Barb R. Thomas3Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, CanadaAlberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Boyle, AB T0A 0M0, CanadaNatural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Edmonton, AB T6H 3S5, CanadaDepartment of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, CanadaFor the oil sands mine sites in northern Alberta, the presence of salty process affected water, a byproduct of the hot-water bitumen extraction process, is anticipated to pose a challenge on some reconstructed landforms. The fundamental challenge when re-vegetating these sites is to ensure not only survival, but vigorous growth where plants are subjected to conditions of high electrical conductivity owing to salts in process affected water that may be contained in the substrate. Finding plants suitable for high salt conditions has offered the opportunity for Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Al-Pac) to investigate the potential role of using native balsam poplar (<i>Populus balsamifera</i> L.) as a key reclamation species for the oil sands region. Two years of greenhouse screening (2012 and 2013) of 222 balsam poplar clones from Al-Pac’s balsam poplar tree improvement program, using process affected discharge water from an oil sands processing facility in Ft. McMurray, has suggested an opportunity to select genetically suitable native clones of balsam poplar for use in reclamation of challenging sites affected by process water. In consideration of the results from both greenhouse and field testing, there is an opportunity to select genetically suitable native clones of balsam poplar that are tolerant to challenging growing conditions, making them more suitable for planting on saline sites.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/5/572oil sands reclamationend-pit lakebalsam poplarsalt tolerance |
| spellingShingle | Yue Hu David Kamelchuk Richard Krygier Barb R. Thomas Field Testing of Selected Salt-Tolerant Screened Balsam Poplar (<i>Populus balsamifera</i> L.) Clones for Use in Reclamation around End-Pit Lakes Associated with Bitumen Extraction in Northern Alberta Forests oil sands reclamation end-pit lake balsam poplar salt tolerance |
| title | Field Testing of Selected Salt-Tolerant Screened Balsam Poplar (<i>Populus balsamifera</i> L.) Clones for Use in Reclamation around End-Pit Lakes Associated with Bitumen Extraction in Northern Alberta |
| title_full | Field Testing of Selected Salt-Tolerant Screened Balsam Poplar (<i>Populus balsamifera</i> L.) Clones for Use in Reclamation around End-Pit Lakes Associated with Bitumen Extraction in Northern Alberta |
| title_fullStr | Field Testing of Selected Salt-Tolerant Screened Balsam Poplar (<i>Populus balsamifera</i> L.) Clones for Use in Reclamation around End-Pit Lakes Associated with Bitumen Extraction in Northern Alberta |
| title_full_unstemmed | Field Testing of Selected Salt-Tolerant Screened Balsam Poplar (<i>Populus balsamifera</i> L.) Clones for Use in Reclamation around End-Pit Lakes Associated with Bitumen Extraction in Northern Alberta |
| title_short | Field Testing of Selected Salt-Tolerant Screened Balsam Poplar (<i>Populus balsamifera</i> L.) Clones for Use in Reclamation around End-Pit Lakes Associated with Bitumen Extraction in Northern Alberta |
| title_sort | field testing of selected salt tolerant screened balsam poplar i populus balsamifera i l clones for use in reclamation around end pit lakes associated with bitumen extraction in northern alberta |
| topic | oil sands reclamation end-pit lake balsam poplar salt tolerance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/5/572 |
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