Evaluation of Terrestrial Environmental Effects Monitoring Forest Health Vegetation Monitoring in Jack Pine Forests

The Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA) monitors the impact of industrial activities on jack pine forests within the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR), in Alberta, Canada. WBEA’s Forest Health Monitoring Program tracks the effects of deposition of nutrients and other elements emitted by industrial activities at the AOSR on the surrounding forests. The proposed project aims to examine how industrial emissions and their deposition affect the nutrient/element distribution, tree growth, and understory plant communities in these forests. Data from four monitoring periods spanning twenty years (2004, 2012, 2018, and 2024) will be analyzed. We expect to find more nutrients and faster growth in trees closer to sources of emission, and changes in plant species towards those that thrive on nitrogen in areas of higher nitrogen deposition. This partnership will enhance WBEA’s understanding of their long-term monitoring vegetation data and vegetation monitoring procedures by providing new insights into the effects of atmospheric deposition on the jack pine forests while simultaneously offering valuable research experience and professional development to the applicant.

Faculty Supervisor:

Anne McIntosh

Student:

Partner:

Wood Buffalo Environmental Association

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Alberta

Program: