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Fall 2016

Jones, Caren E

Re-establishment of appropriate vegetation communities is an important aspect of successful forest reclamation as they contribute to various ecosystem functions. In my research I explore how different coversoil materials (salvaged forest floor (FFM) and peat material), their placement depths, and...

Spring 2012

Hemsley, Tyrel, Lee

Oil and gas extraction in the Athabasca oil sands region has increased anthropogenic nitrogen (N) emissions over the past two decades. This study quantified atmospheric N deposition and assessed the potential implications of increased N deposition in aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and jack...

Fall 2016

Wilson, Alison M.J.

Poor quality cover soil, a lack of propagules, and availability of suitable microsites can be serious challenges in the re-vegetation success of surface mines. In my thesis research, I examined the response of total cover, species richness and community composition of colonizing vegetation on a...

Spring 2015

Zhang,Wenqing

Soil pH is among the major environmental factors affecting plant growth. In the reclaimed areas following open-pit oil sands mining in northeastern Alberta, Canada, the pH of reclaimed soil is commonly higher than 8.0. The optimum range of soil pH for growth and the tolerance of pH extremes...

Spring 2012

Onwuchekwa, Nnenna E

This study examined the potential of using conifer seedlings Picea glauca and Pinus banksiana inoculated with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi to improve revegetation success and plant establishment in reclaimed oil sands mining sites. Mycorrhizal inoculum potential of the reclamation soils was low...

Fall 2014

Goeppel, Alexander E

This thesis explores the influence of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), seedling size, and root:shoot ratio (RSR) on jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedling performance under different drought intensities in a growth chamber and after outplanting on a reclamation site. NSC content, size, and...

Fall 2014

Kulbaba, Shaun P

Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) seedlings often display reduced growth, or transplant shock, following out-planting largely due to moisture constraints. This thesis explores the influence of seedling size (root volume), root to stem ratio (RSR) and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC)...

Fall 2017

Echiverri, Laureen F. I.

For the purpose of informing biodiversity conservation efforts in managed landscapes, we explored whether and how understory plant communities (abundance, diversity, composition) were related to a topographic moisture index, called depth-to-water, in the boreal mixedwood forests of northwestern...

Fall 2011

Rodriguez-Alvarez, Javier

Aspen seedlings often suffer from transplant shock after outplanting. The influence of seedling characteristics and time of outplanting (spring, summer and fall) on field performance was examined on mining reclamation sites. Seedling characteristics were modified by inducing premature bud set...

Spring 2016

Low, Caitlin H.

Reclamation of native prairie ecosystems is of growing importance as they continue to be impacted by anthropogenic disturbances. Since European settlement, Alberta grasslands have declined by 61 %. Grasslands are agriculturally important, act as a carbon sink, and many species depend upon them....