Early successional plant community dynamics on a reclaimed oil sands mine in comparison with natural boreal forest communities
Errington, R. C. and B. D. Pinno. 2016. Taylor & Francis
Abstract
Forming the majority of plant diversity in boreal forests, understory communities are important
drivers of nutrient cycling and overstory succession. In western Canadian boreal forests, fire is the
primary mechanism of natural disturbance, with oil sands mining a substantial anthropogenic
disturbance in north-eastern Alberta. An operational reclamation trial, at an oil sands mine, was
established the same year as a nearby forest fire, allowing for direct comparison of plant
community development between reclaimed and naturally regenerated fire-origin and mature
stands. This work reflects a case study with large, but unreplicated, areas of both fertilized and
unfertilized reclamation treatments on forest floor-mineral mix (FFMM) and peat-mineral mix
(PMM) capping materials. After three years, reclamation sites are compositionally distinct from
post-fire and mature natural stands, with more non-native species in reclamation treatments than
in natural stands. Communities developing on FFMM are more similar to post-fire successional
communities than those on PMM, with high species richness and diversity on FFMM comparable
with post-fire stands. Cover soil had a stronger impact on plant community development than
fertilization, with fertilization effects dependent on cover soil. A standard dose of fertilizer
lowered richness and diversity on FFMM and is not recommended for use with that soil.
