The Role of Seeding in Reclamation of Disturbed Sites: Whitehorse Workshop (2013)
A workshop presentation showing examples of seeded reclamation sites and how species choice and vegetation succession influence recovery. It also follows roadside vegetation management and several restoration examples.
16:27 · 96 slides · Historical presentation · No recorded narration
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Soil Bioengineering Training & Courses · Revegetation Strategy at Island Copper Mine (2001) · Site Assessment & Restoration Planning
About this presentation
Source: Whitehorse Seeding Workshop, 2013. Slides by David Polster; individual image and diagram credits remain in the presentation. This video includes the complete supplied deck. It is an archive slideshow, not a recording of the spoken conference session.
Dates, costs and examples reflect the original presentation. Treatment suitability depends on current site conditions and requirements.
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THE ROLE OF SEEDING IN RECLAMATION OF DISTURBED SITES DAVID POLSTER, POLSTER ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES LTD.
Helicopter seeding exploration trench in the Upper Elk Valley in the fall of 1977
Upper Elk Valley Seeded with agronomic grasses and legumes in 1977, photographed in 2009.
The agronomic grasses and legumes we have been using for reclamation prevent effective recovery of these sites. Upper Elk Valley
Ecologically based strategies seek to re-establish natural successional trajectories on lands used for mining.
Over 500,000 Red Alder trees planted at the Island Copper Mine
Establishment of pioneering species such as alder on waste rock dumps results in excellent vegetation growth. 12 years old
25 years old
Shifts to an Alder / Salmonberry / conifer stand…
… but the dense cover of seeded grasses and legumes out-competes the alder unless the alder can form a closed canopy.
So we have seen a drop in the number of alder trees over the years…
…even as the total cover has gone up.
Seeding slopes for erosion control Fall 1985
Excellent cover of seeded species… August 27, 1992
…almost too good (preventing woody species establishment). July 9, 2005
Slow encroachment - August 1, 2009
Dense stand of seeded grasses and legumes at Giant Mine Site (Baker Creek Reach 4)
Poor spruce trying to make a living in a dense stand of seeded species (Baker Creek Reach 4)
30 year old NWT well site Creeping Red Fescue
Another 30 year old NWT well site Creeping Red Fescue
Freshly seeded NWT well site
Not some cheap afterthought by a guy with a hand seeder…
11 years of forest recovery right next to seeded well site…
Seeded Selwyn exploration site, the only place I found invasive species
Faro freshwater reservoir area seeded and staked
Yesterday…
Faro Grum sulphide cell cover project, seeded
Faro Grum sulphide cell cover project
Seeded agronomic grasses and legumes create successionally stagnant conditions. Seismic Site
Wildlife collisions are a major problem… …but we do everything we can to provide enticing food for wildlife near the road.
Fresh grass in the spring brings the deer to the roadside…
This is a hazard to both the deer and the motorists…
Eventually bad things happen…
This is a restoration issue…
Planting tasty forage crops along highways attracts animals with fatal results - mostly for the animals but sometimes humans
Use of natural successional processes to inform vegetation management - a Yukon example… Cleared roadside - initial successional stage
Cleared roadside - pioneering invaders… lot's of moose food!
Blocks sightlines, hides signs…
Send in the brush cutters… What do we do when we have brush problems?
J F M A M J J A S O N D Plant Energy Reserves Mowed or tilled May winter kill Months Cutting when root reserves are high will result in increased growth
Cleared roadside - grows to dense thicket… good cover for moose… Cutting causes re-growth of the cut species - suckering of pioneering plants.
Cleared roadside 2005 - clearing repeated
Cleared roadside 2005
Cleared roadside 2006 - so what do we have?
Pioneering vegetation - let's take a closer look…
Rapidly growing aspen
Rapidly growing balsam poplar
A variety of rapidly growing pioneers…
Cleared roadside - look to forest to get off this early successional treadmill…
Open aspen forest - limited cover for a moose and no forage…
Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) - ideal understory
Details…
Selective removal of understory stems to speed opening up of forest.
Selective removal of understory trees, pruning spruce boughs…
What about the spruce?
Late successional stage but dense…
Prune branches, remove young trees.
Lichens and mosses…
Prune branches…
With branches pruned, no need to touch this site for decades…
Understanding vegetation successional patterns allows cost effective management
Some simple solutions to sight lines
Just getting started, 12:02 PM
Sight lines restricted
Sight lines opened, 1:03 PM
Just getting started, 2:12 PM
Sight lines opened, 2:30 PM
Pruning branches opens the sightlines without opening the site to early successional species.
Used on forestry intersections
Cutting pioneering woody species under power lines results in rapid re-growth of these species
Treatments under power lines
Select species with slower growth rates Pine Spruce
Dense early seral vegetation blocks sightlines
A bit of selective pruning…
…and we can go from here…
…to here (September, 2007).
May 21, 2008
May 15, 2009
June 18, 2011
May 10, 2013
BC Hydro removed the Heber River Dam and was faced with the need to restore the disturbed sites
There was a 3 km penstock that was also removed.
So we made project sites rough and loose and covered them with woody debris…
By November 13th, 2012 the project sites were ready for winter.
Monitoring transects were established at 5 project locations, July 16, 2013
An average of 5,410 alder seedlings/hectare were found
Including between the rocks of the rip-rap
Compaction and erosion issues Mount Tuam Road Restoration
Unauthorized access
Making sites rough and loose
Rough and loose road October 17, 2011
Carpet of new seedlings June 28, 2012
Douglas-fir seedling March 23, 2013
August 13, 2013 Oceanspray
August 13, 2013 Red Alder
Pioneering plants are ready to work for us Faro Mine