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Demonstrating Reversing Soil Carbon Losses in Disturbed Coal Mine Land Using Municipal Biosolids and Woody Biomass Crop Establishment
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FF Commercial Pilots, AI-Enabled Site Selection, Demonstrations of Land (Disc-Trencher) and Air (Drone) Deployment Systems and BIological Technology in Alberta’s Boreal Forests (2025 – 2027)
Flash Forest aims to advance its drone-based tree planting technology by integrating AI-driven site selection software, incorporating land-based planting techniques, and diversifying tree species to enhance carbon sequestration. Informed by extensive collaboration with forestry experts and data analysis, Flash Forest has identified site and species selection as critical components of successful reforestation practices. To optimize
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AI Enabled, Long-Range BVLOS Drone Surveillance for Wildfire Monitoring and Agriculture
Drones are becoming an essential tool in agriculture across Alberta. They are increasingly used for seeding and weed management, reducing the need for large, emission-heavy machinery. These drones offer environmental advantages and present significant economic opportunities for Alberta’s farmers through smart farming practices. AIRMarket is utilizing Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drones to detect,
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Wildfire Monitoring and Methane Detection from Space via High-resolution Hyperspectral Satellites
Wyvern is innovating environmental monitoring through its hyperspectral imaging (HSI) satellites. The Edmonton space company currently utilizes three satellites, capturing data across various spectral bands. This capability allows Wyvern to identify distinct chemical and physical properties of the Earth’s surface, similar to performing spectroscopy from space. The captured data enables analytics for commercial and environmental
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BIOSALIX: Mine reclamation using and organic residuals to augment soil quality and underpin a cleantech economy through short rotation willow feedstock production
Reclaiming Mined Land, Utilizing Biosolids Waste, and Producing Biomass Feedstock Approved for funding through ERA’s Partnership Intake Program in 2019, Sylvis demonstrated their approach to improving soil and reclaiming old coal mines, while also producing biomass for feedstock. By completion in 2023, the project demonstrated proof-of-concept of the BIOSALIX mine reclamation system by utilizing municipal
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Flash Forest Commercial Pilots and Demonstrations of Rapid Drone Reforestation Technology for 2021 to 2023
Project Overview Approved for funding through ERA’s Food, Farming, and Forestry Challenge in 2021, Flash Forest developed and field-tested a scalable tree planting technology solution in Alberta. By completion in 2024, the project advanced technologies for RPAS hardware, aerial mapping software, automation, and biological seed pod technology that aims to reforest areas rapidly. Innovative Processes
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Incorporating Wetland Carbon Values into Spatially Explicit Tools to Inform Land Use Decisions
Protecting Wetlands with Data-Driven Strategies Freshwater wetlands sequester and store substantial amounts of organic carbon, but once a wetland is drained, it loses carbon rapidly. If the wetland is restored, it can capture greenhouse gases (GHG) again, but it can take significant time before carbon stores are completely recharged. Given this, tools need to be
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Tree Species Adaptation Risk Management
ERA provided $3 million to the Tree Species Adaptation Risk Management Project. The climate change adaptation project replicated climate variations through strategic plantings at test sites of species from other regions of the province (for example, planting northern species in southern Alberta). This knowledge is crucial to the province’s forest industry as well as the
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South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB)
With continuing population and economic growth comes a demand not only for more water but also for improved environmental management. This initiative assisted communities in adapting to existing and future climate variability, while identifying opportunities for environmental improvement and economic growth. It also explored improvements in water storage and infrastructure, as well as the timing
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Biodiversity Management and Climate Change Adaptation
This collaborative climate change adaptation project involves a team of biodiversity scientists and policy analysts from the University of Alberta; Miistakis Institute; Alberta Innovates Technology Futures; the Government of Alberta, and the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute. The team assessed hundreds of wild species, ranging from prairie flowers to backyard birds, to devise proactive strategies for
