Acceptable Salinity, Sodicity and pH Values for Boreal Forest Reclamation

This report examines plant species used in reclamation and their tolerances for soil salinity, sodicity and pH. The information for each species was obtained from a review of the literature and unpublished information conveyed through personal interviews with people conducting research in this area or working in reclamation. The objective of this report is to determine if the current values for soil salinity, sodicity and pH outlined in Soil Quality Criteria Relative to Disturbance and Reclamation (Revised) (Macyk et al. 1993) and Land Capability Classification for Forest Ecosystems in the Oil Sands (Revised) (Leskiw 1998) need to be revised to reflect plant species’ tolerances for these soil parameters. Information on plant response to soil salinity, sodicity and pH is provided, as well as an overview of the soils in the boreal forest.
The results indicate that the current values used for soil salinity, sodicity and pH should not be changed at this time. Additional research to determine tolerances is required for all species and the work should ideally be conducted in the field and for several years, especially for woody species. As well, additional inventories of plant species in undisturbed saline boreal areas would be beneficial, although there are few naturally saline areas in the boreal forest