Investigation of forest legacy-based soil rehabilitation techniques for mine reclamation

The August 2014 tailings dam breach at the Mount Polley Mine, BC severely disturbed downstream forest ecosystems through erosion and tailings deposition. The impacted area presents an opportunity to research using ecosystem legacies (ecosystem components that survive a disturbance) to rehabilitate disturbed areas. A field trial at Mount Polley is testing seedling establishment and soil food web recolonization using three soil legacy reclamation methods: transplants of forest soil into seedling planting holes; spatial belowground connection with the undisturbed forest; and bringing forest floor buried by tailings to the surface. Greenhouse experiments are investigating the volume of soil to transplant, the role of the soil biological community in soil transplants, and the potential for seedlings to regenerate soil legacies, promoting growth of the next generation of trees. This study aims to develop new ecosystem-based reclamation techniques to be applied at Mount Polley and across the mining industry, with the potential to improve reclamation practices.

Faculty Supervisor:

Suzanne Simard

Student:

Partner:

Mount Polley Mining Corporation (Likely, BC)

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Mining

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: