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Forest surface soil management from textbook to operations

British Columbia Mine Reclamation Symposium; University of British Columbia. Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering

Conservation of forest surface soil is critical for development of self-sustaining forest ecosystems on post-mined land. Salvaging the surface soil from upland boreal forests received little attention in the past and was often not required. Research has shown forest surface soil provides an economical, diverse and abundant source of native propagules and an important source of nutrients and soil fauna. Salvage depth affects soil quality and potential for in situ propagules to emerge. Salvaging too deep will dilute the propagule and organic matter content of the forest floor with underlying mineral soil; however, salvaging too shallow may not provide sufficient root to soil contact for successful emergence of vegetative propagules. Optimal salvage depth is impacted by various factors such as soil texture, donor source location and reclamation objectives. Salvaged surface soil should be directly placed if native vegetation establishment is desired, as stockpiling surface soil for even short periods of time reduces viability of most boreal plant species and causes substantial changes to soil chemical properties. Viability of seeds within stockpiles can be managed in the short term by altering stockpile size and timing of construction. Optimal placement depth and distribution of surface soil is also dependent on many factors including salvage depth, substrate quality and reclamation objectives. Data from field research at operational and plot scales are presented to support best practices. Various adaptive management practices developed from theory, research and operations to help reduce negative impacts on soil quality and viability of native propagules are discussed.

Conference Paper

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0437484

Non UBC

Other

DSpace