Victor Lieffers, Professor and Chair Department of Renewable Resources – Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Renewable Resources
Increasingly energy exploration in Alberta is done in forested landscapes. These are sites are usually dominated by woody vegetation and large trees. The ecosystems that have assembled in forests are adapted to shaded environments. Reclamation workers needs to focus on regenerating and rebuilding forest communities. Renewal of forests should link to the extensive knowledge gained from management of forest renewal and forest dynamics associated with silvicultural processes build up over a century or more of management of forests. In this seminar I will discuss the various aspects of silvicultural knowledge that might be applied to land reclamation in forested environments. These include:

1. Taking control of the site with wood vegetation – best done by full-stocking of shade intolerant colonizers such as aspen. Deep shade controls weed and agronomic invaders which thrive in full light.

2. Using site classification to describe various ecosystems and their various treatments.

3. Assessing potential for natural regeneration – examining natural distribution of seed trees or serotinous cones of pine.

4. Creation of microsites, including coarse woody material.

5. Protection of forest floor during disturbance – forest floor acts as a source of propagules.

6. Using mechanical site preparation to develop specific microsite for planting of seedlings suited to particular ecosites.

Click below to RSVP for the Nov 10, 2011 seminar.
http://workspace.meltwaterdrive.com/hai/see/4.0_seminars/registration_form

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This post was submitted by Mary Conrad.