The Guide describes how to prepare professional justifications to support variance requests respecting noxious weeds and undesirable/problem species on well sites and associated facilities in a forested ecosystem. Weed variance requests are submitted to the AER when a site fails criteria for noxious weeds and/or undesirable/problem species within the 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Wellsites and Associated Facilities on Forested Lands (Forested Criteria) but meets all other vegetation requirements. The approved variance allows a site to be certified despite the noxious weeds and/or undesirable/problem species criteria failure, particularly in situations where additional work to remove the weeds may not be appropriate to meet desired reclamation outcomes.
The Guide is intended for site managers and environmental consultants, including professionals responsible for submitting reclamation certificate applications (referred to as assessors throughout the Guide). It complements but does not replace the existing reclamation requirements outlined in the Forested Criteria, or the requirements found in the AER’s Specified Enactment Direction 002 Application Submission Requirements and Guidance for Reclamation Certificates for Well Sites and Associated Facilities (SED 002; AER 2025).