Vegetation Recovery on Abandoned Borrow Pits

The research project presented aimed to develop solutions for the restoration of
disturbed environments where mineral substrate is exposed by using native
plants. Two approaches were considered. In the first place, an experimental
approach allowed to test the effect of various substrate on the establishment of 3
typical vascular plants of the boreal forest, such as the glandular birch, the black
spruce and the common Labrador tea. The different types of substrate tested
were : (1) bare soil (2) amendment of peat, (3) glandular birch branch mulch, (4)
fragmented community of Racomitrium canescens and Stereocaulon paschale
and (5) dense naturally established communities of mosses and/or lichens.
Preliminary results showed that the black spruce and the Labrador tea showed a
better survival rate than the glandular birch, independently of the type of
substrate on which it was grown. The preliminary results, taken after one growing
season suggested that black spruce and Labrador tea would be good candidates
for the restoration of disturbed environments where mineral soil is exposed, such
as borrow pits.