Characterization of Soil Physical Properties in Compacted and Decompacted Soils On Reclaimed Mine Tailings At Genesee Prairie Mine, Alberta.

Revegetation with perennial grasses or alfalfa has traditionally been a standard practice for site reclamation within Alberta’s agriculture zone, but these species are not representative of the natural biodiversity. Therefore, aspen is being used in more recent reclamation projects in the Parkland Ecoregion of Alberta. Initial aspen plantations showed poor growth and the likely cause was soil compaction from machinery during landscape reconstruction impeding aspen root growth. To improve subsoil aeration and water transmission, subsoil ripping was carried out in a test plot at Genesee Prairie Mine, Alberta. Within the site, 6 replicates with 2 treatments each (compacted and decompacted) were established with 20 m buffers between them. The main objective of this project is to characterize the effects of subsoil ripping on soil physical properties. In July and August 2011, soil samples were extracted from 9 locations in each ripped and non-ripped replication (total of 108 locations) with a GeoProbe hydraulic soil coring device. Soil physical parameters measured on these samples include soil texture, bulk density, moisture retention curve and saturated hydraulic conductivity. Preliminary results showed improved soil structure, pore-size distribution and water infiltration in the soil. The deep ripping treatment has likely improved the soil physical properties with respect to Aspen revegetation.