Project Overview
Approved for funding through ERA’s Food, Farming, and Forestry Challenge in 2021, Cenovus explored innovative equipment and technologies to improve restoration efficiency and effectiveness. By completion in 2023, the project produced a stand-out technology, the amphibious Bracke, which enhanced operational efficiency while maintaining ecological efficacy; however, further testing and implementation at an operational scale is still required.
Adapting Equipment and Techniques to Aid Reforestation Along Anthropogenic Seismic Lines
Alberta’s boreal forest is fragmented with hundreds of thousands of kilometers of legacy seismic lines – man-made tree and vegetation clearings created during oil and gas exploration. Most are unable to regenerate naturally and current restoration efforts using excavators are time consuming and expensive. Cenovus developed this project to explore innovative restoration practices by adapting forestry and farming techniques to restoration sites. The project aimed to test the operational feasibility of technologies and evaluate the effects of the treatments they delivered. Focusing on adapting existing technology to make viable option for preparing lines for tree planting quickly and effectively, the project evaluated a range of restoration equipment, tow-behind and conventional machinery. It then aimed to assess the ecological impact of these treatments and their potential to accelerate forest recovery. Reforesting lines improves carbon sequestration and mitigates GHG emissions through efficient restoration methods and technology.
Several Successful Treatments, with the Bracke Standing Out Overall
Trials were conducted in the Canoe Lake Restoration Area, part of Cenovus’ Foster Creek SAGD oilsands project area, with a focus on legacy seismic lines. The project tested a range of implements mounted to an amphibious base or skidder. Field trials occurred in three phases to adjust and innovate the technology. After all initial treatments were delivered, tree seedlings were planted at all sites. Results were collected on operational efficiency during implementation and ecological efficacy during two post-treatment sampling periods.
The iterative phased testing approach developed a purpose-built amphibious base equipped with a Bracke three-row mounder – a piece of forestry equipment that mounds planting spots. This amphibious Bracke machine was one of the more promising technologies the project trialled for seismic line reclamation. It was able to access wetlands, cross creeks, and treat seismic lines approximately 85 percent faster than current practice using an excavator. The project trialled several pull-behind farming implements, demonstrating high performance on upland and mesic sites. While the Bracke showed versatility across various conditions, it was only tested in lowland sites and frozen conditions due equipment procurement delays. However, preliminary results are promising.
All treatments effectively stimulated vegetation recovery and improved moisture conditions on lowland and upland sites. Most treated sites showed increased leader growth of trees. The performance of restoration treatment were evaluated in the field using treatment speed, microsite persistence and quality, vegetation responses, and GHG implications. Results showed accelerated treatment speeds and high microsite persistence and quality from the Bracke mounder.
What’s next?
The technology developed during this trial has the potential to enable larger-scale restoration programs, which in turn can improve environmental and GHG outcomes in Alberta by accelerating the pace of linear restoration. Currently there are no plans to commercialize and mass-produce the technologies developed during the project. However, Cenovus plans to share knowledge and results to generate the demand required to upscale the technology. Awareness and incentives are needed to increase demand for technological advancements. Going forward, the amphibious Bracke is set for operational implementation by Cenovus in spring 2024. First Nations communities have expressed an interest in adopting this technology to further restoration efforts.