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Root Distributions of Planted Boreal Mixedwood Species on Reclaimed Saline–Sodic Overburden

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Abstract

Alberta’s oil sands are located in the boreal forest where surface mining requires reconstruction of these landscapes using waste saline and sodic overburden (SSOB) piles. The impact of these SSOB materials, however, on root development of planted boreal species is unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of SSOB material on the root distributions of planted boreal species. Root distributions for planted mixedwood stands were measured using soil cores and compared with soil physical and chemical properties on three reclaimed sites. Soil pH ranged from 6.1 to 7.5 across all three reclaimed sites. Sodium adsorption ratio ranged from <30 in the SSOB at the youngest site to <4 at the oldest site while soil electrical conductivity ranged from <12 and <4 dS m−1 in the SSOB at the youngest and oldest site, respectively. Root length distributions were concentrated in the upper 30 cm of the soil profile and ranged from 0.96 to 7.99 cm cm−3. The roots were observed in the SSOB and accounted for 1.3% to 2.2% of the total root length in the profile. The root length density was also negatively correlated with Na and EC at all sites. The root distributions on these young reclaimed sites were similar to those from undisturbed boreal forest stands overlying saline soils, suggesting that root distributions on these reclaimed sites appear to be unaffected by the SSOB; however, further monitoring will be required as the stand matures to determine future impacts of the SSOB on forest productivity.

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Acknowledgments

This research project could not have been possible without funding from Syncrude Canada Ltd. and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The authors would like to thank Doug Jackson, Cory Fatteicher, Barry Goetz, Sophie Kessler and Clara Qualizza for their assistance with the project.

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  1. Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 5A8

    Heidi Lazorko & Ken C. J. Van Rees

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  1. Heidi Lazorko
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Correspondence to Ken C. J. Van Rees.

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Lazorko, H., Van Rees, K.C.J. Root Distributions of Planted Boreal Mixedwood Species on Reclaimed Saline–Sodic Overburden. Water Air Soil Pollut 223, 215–231 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-011-0852-3

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