Webinars and Presentations
March 8, 2024
Restoring a Functional Forest: Challenges and opportunities undertaking legacy well site reclamation (YouTube Video)
Amanda Schoonmaker PhD, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Alberta School of Forest Science and Management Seminar Series
March 8, 2024
Topsoil replacement depth impacts on forest reclamation outcomes
Amanda Schoonmaker PhD, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Canadian Land Reclamation Association Annual Conference
January 5, 2024
Webinar: Effect of Planting Timing on Survival and Growth of Frozen 1-0 Container White Spruce and Lodgepole Pine
Amanda Schoonmaker PhD, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Forest Growth Organization of Western Canada, Winter Webinar Series
June 15, 2023
Mother Earth: Boreal Beauty of the Peace Country
Sharon Krushel, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Hosted by NAIT Centre for Boreal Research, Boreal Nature Series
March 8, 2023
Taking a long-term approach: a case study of non-chemical noxious weed management on an in-situ facility soil stockpile
Amanda Schoonmaker PhD, Brad Pinno PhD, Chibuike Chigbo PhD, Robert Albricht MSc
For presentation at the 2023 Annual Alberta Invasive Species Conference (AISC)
February 24, 2023
Coal mine reclamation and the challenges of establishing forest vegetation in the face significant ruderal competition: a 5-year assessment of the good, the bad and the downright ridiculous
Amanda Schoonmaker, Dr. Mark Baah-Acheamfour, Stefan Schreiber, Eckehart Marenholtz
Hosted by NAIT Centre for Boreal Research, Boreal Nature Series
June 23, 2021
Vegetation Management Practices for Accelerating Dominance of Native Plant Communities on Industry Reclaimed Sites
Dr. Mark Baah-Acheamfour, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Hosted by NAIT Centre for Boreal Research, Boreal Nature Series
April 20-21, 2021
Five Year Synthesis of Boreal Reclamation Research in the Peace River Region: Key findings, best practices and future opportunities
Hosted by NAIT Centre for Boreal Research
Session 1
Overview and Regional Context of the Research Program 2014 – 2019
Dr. Kevin Kemball, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Restoration of Peatland Ecosystem by Removing/Burying Overburden (clay and wood chip) Under Peat Layer (BUPL)
Dr. Bin Xu, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
From Dirt to Peat: Fen Initiation on Residual Mineral Substrate
Dr. Bin Xu, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Donor Moss Sites Harvested from Existing Linear Footprints: Do they naturally recover?
Melanie Bird, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Session 2
Use of Organic Amendments to Improve Soil Quality of Recently Placed, 40-Year-Old Topsoil
Dr. Chibuike Chigbo, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Understanding the Impact of Linear Features on Peatland Hydrology and Greenhouse Fluxes
Dr. Bin Xu, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Seed Pelleting for Land Reclamation
Dr. Jean-Marie Sobze, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Hitchhiking Native Forbs with Conifers
Dr. Amanda Schoonmaker, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Osmotic Priming of Paper Birch and Green Alder Seeds
Dr. Natalia Startsev, Canadian Forest Service
March 31, 2021
Clustered deciduous tree planting as a method to speed forest development in post-industrial disturbed landscapes
Amanda Schoonmaker, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Hosted by NAIT Centre for Boreal Research, Boreal Nature Series
December 2, 2020
Boreal Peatland Restoration: 10 Years of Learning
Bin Xu, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
For presentation at the Society of Wetland Scientists Conference
October 28, 2020
Forest Health Perspectives: Indicators of Unhealthy Forests at Various Scales
Ryan Hermanutz, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (NW Alberta Regional Forest Health Team)
Hosted by NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research, Boreal Nature Series
Watch the 360 companion video
April 22, 2020
Air Quality in the Peace River-Three Creeks Region: Monitoring a success story
Michael Bisaga, Peace River Area Monitoring Program
Hosted by NNAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research, Boreal Nature Series
April 4, 2020
Open Access: Interim Reforestation of Soil Stockpiles
Dr. Amanda Schoonmaker, NAIT Applied Research - Centre for Boreal Research
Hosted by the Society for Ecological Restoration
October 2, 2018
NAIT Centre for Boreal Research – Applied Research and Knowledge Exchange
Dr. Kevin Kemball & Catherine Brown, Centre for Boreal Research, NAIT
Hosted by the Wetland BMP Knowledge Exchange
November 14, 2017
Site Preparation and Vegetation Management in Reclamation – Part 1
Dr. Amanda Schoonmaker, Centre for Boreal Research, NAIT
Hosted by NAIT Centre for Boreal Research
November 14, 2017
Site Preparation and Vegetation Management in Reclamation - Part 2
Dr. Amanda Schoonmaker, Centre for Boreal Research, NAIT
Hosted by NAIT Centre for Boreal Research
February 2016
Spatial Analysis and Visualization of Soil Resistance Before and After Soil Adjustment on a Reclaimed Site
Dr. Amanda Schoonmaker & Trevor Floreani, Centre for Boreal Research, NAIT
Hosted by the Alberta Land-use Knowledge Network
Publications
Research Papers
Reclamation Field Tour of Upland and Peatland Industrially-Disturbed Sites. Field Notes. (pdf)
Centre for Boreal Research. 2018.
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Optimizing Weed Control for Progressive Reclamation: Risk Analysis on Regulated Weeds in the Boreal Region. (pdf)
Schoonmaker, S. Schreiber, C.B. Powter, and B. Drozdowski. 2018.
Optimizing Weed Control for Progressive Reclamation: Retrospective Case Study and Risk Framework. InnoTech Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. 68 pp.
Optimizing Weed Control for Progressive Reclamation: Literature Review (pdf)
Small, C., D. Degenhardt, B. Drozdowski, S. Thacker, C.B. Powter, A. Schoonmaker and S. Schreiber. 2018.
Optimizing Weed Control for Progressive Reclamation: Literature Review. InnoTech Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. 48 pp.
NAIT advances plant and see technologies to accelerate native plant establishment on boreal reclamation sites (pdf).
Jeannine Goehing, Jean-Marie Sobze, Catherine Brown. 2017.
Canadian Reclamation, Fall/Winter: 36-37.
Silviculture knowledge for reclamation of oil and gas disturbances: soil decompaction (pdf).
Katalijn MacAfee, F. Cortini, and Amanada Schoonmaker. 2016.
Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa. 10 p.
Alternative native boreal seed and plant delivery systems for oil sands reclamation (pdf).
Amanda Schoonmaker, Jean-Marie Sobze, Erin Fraser, Eckehart Marenholtz, Ann Smreciu, Chris Powter. and Marshall Mckenzie. 2014.
Oil Sands Research and Information Network, University of Alberta, School of Energy and the Environment, Edmonton, Alberta. OSRIN Report No. TR-55. 61 p.
A life cycle approach to vegetation management on reclaimed industrial sites (pdf).
M Mihajlovich, Jean-Marie Sobze, and Amanada Schoonmaker. 2014.
Canadian Reclamation, 1 (14): 52-56.
Practices to effectively till industrial forest soils (pdf).
David H. McNabb, Jean-Marie Sobze, and Amanda Schoonmaker. 2013.
Canadian Reclamation, 1 (13): 40-42.
Wellsite clay pad removal and inversion – a peatland restoration pilot project (pdf).
Jean-Marie Sobze, Amanada Schoonmaker, and Line Rochefort. 2012.
Canadian Reclamation, 1 (12): 10-13.
Alberta native plants and seeds: wild harvest, registration and deployment. A guide for technicians and practitioners (pdf).
Ann Smreciu, 2011.
Peer-Reviewed Papers
Size Influences on the Survival of Willow Cuttings Under Operational Field Conditions
Alan Pollock, Kyle R. Grant, Amanda Schoonmaker. 2025
Ecology and Evolution
In-situ electrokinetic remediation of salt-impacted soil at a decommissioned well site
Ricky S. Kong, Chibuzo Ilogu, Jean-Marie Sobze. 2024
Journal of Applied Electrochemistry
Hitchhiker planting: mixed-species container stock planting as a novel tool to increase plant diversity on industrially distrubed sites
A.L. Schoonmaker, A. Mathison, M.D. Mackenzie. 2023.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research
Assessing Post-harvest Interim Seed Storage Conditions: A Case Study of Four Boreal Plant Species
Mark Baah-Acheamfour Jean-Marie Sobze. 2022
Seed Science and Technology
The Potential of Carbon Nanoparticles as a Stimulant to Improve the Propagation of Native Boreal Forest Species: A Mini-Review
Jean-Marie Sobze, Lakshman Galagedara, Mumtaz Cheema,Raymond Thomas, Sahari Inoue. 2022
Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
Use of pulp mill biosolids to stimulate forest plant growth on an industrial footprint with marginal soil
Chibuike Chigbo, Amanda Schoonmaker, Dani Degenhardt. 2022
Environmental Challenges
Assessing Ecological Recovery of Reclaimed Well Sites: A Case Study From Alberta, Canada
Mark Baah-Acheamfour, Mark Dewey, Erin C. Fraser Stefan G. Schreiber Amanda Schoonmaker. 2022
Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
Ground Validation of Seismic Line Forest Regeneration Assessments Based on Visual Interpretation of Satellite Imagery
Angeline Van Dongen, Caren Jones, Casey Doucet, Trevor Floreani, Amanda Schoonmaker, Jill Harvey, and Dani Degenhardt. 2022
Forests
Reestablishment of peatland vegetation following surface leveling of decommissioned in situ oil mining infrastructures
Meike Lemmer, Bin Xu, Maria Strack, Line Rochefort. 2022
Restoration Ecology
How mounds are made matters: seismic line restoration techniques affect peat physical and chemical properties throughout the peat profile
Kimberly Kleinke, Scott J. Davidson, Megan Schmidt, Bin Xu, and Maria Strack. 2022.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research
Can plant or lichen natural abundance 15N ratios indicate the influence of oil sands N emissions on bogs?
R. Kelman Wieder, Melanie A. Vile, Dale H. Vitt , Kimberli D. Scott, Bin Xu , James C. Quinn, Cara M. Albright. 2022.
Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
The potential of rock dust nanoparticles to improve seed germination and seedling vigor of native species: A review
Annabel Arnott, Lakshman Galagedara, Raymond Thomas, Mumtaz Cheema, Jean-Marie Sobze. 2021
Science of The Total Environment
Restoration of a boreal peatland impacted by an in-situ oil sands well-pad 2: Greenhouse gas exchange dynamics
Alexandra Engering, Scott J. Davidson, Bin Xu, Melanie Bird, Line Rochefort, Maria Strack. 2021
Restoration Ecology
Restoration approach influences carbon exchange at in-situ oil sands exploration sites in east-central Alberta
Kimberley R. Murray, Melanie Bird, Maria Strack, Michael Cody, Bin Xu. 2021.
Wetlands Ecology and Management.
Manipulating aspen (Populus tremuloides) seedling size characteristics to improve initial establishment and growth on competitive sites
Kyle D. Le, Stefan G. Schreiber, Simon M. Landhäusser and Amanda L. Schoonmaker. 2020.
Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research
Effects of cold stratification on the germination of Vaccinium myrtilloides (common blueberry) and Vaccinium vitis-idaea (bog cranberry) seeds from Alberta, Canada.
Jessica J Hudson, Çağdaş Kera Yucel, Amanda L Schoonmaker, and Jean-Marie Sobze. 2017.
Native Plants
Cluster planting: early enhancement of structural diversity in a reclaimed boreal forest (pdf).
Bradley D. Pinno, Amanda Schoonmaker, Çağdaş Kera Yücel, and Robert Albricht. 2017.
Journal American Society of Mining and Reclamation
Mineral nitrogen and phosphorus pools affected by water table lowering and warming in a boreal forested peatland.
Tariq M. Munir, Bhupesh Khadka, Bin Xu, and Maria Strack. 2017.
Echohydrology
Impact of winter roads on boreal peatland carbon exchange.
Maria Strack, Divya Softa, Melanie Bird, and Bin Xu. 2017.
Global Change Biology
Germination and early growth of boreal understory plants on 3 reclamation soil types under simulated drought conditions.
Bradley D Pinno, Edith H Y Li, Bhupesh Khadka, and Amanda Schoonmaker. 2017.
Native Plants
Length of cold stratification period affects germination in green alder (Alnus viridis (Chaix) DC. subsp. crispa (Aiton) Turrill) seed collected from northwestern Alberta (pdf).
Jasmeen Kaur, Amanda L Schoonmaker, and Jean-Marie Sobze. 2016.
Native Plants