What happens to an oil/gas well when it �dies�? Scientific research on rangeland management has been occurring in Alberta since the 1920�s. The focus of this research was from a grazing perspective and has resulted in the creation of numerous tools and guidelines to measure and monitor range health. The same tools and guidelines are being utilized by industry and environmental reclamation practitioners in Alberta when reclaiming upstream oil and gas disturbances on grasslands.�The life cycle of an oil or gas well is unique to its physical location and production history. Once an industrial licensee determines a well is not productive and/or operationally necessary, there is a process to follow to achieve regulatory �closure� of the site. �In Alberta, this process is called the �2010 Reclamation Criteria for Wellsites and Associated Facilities for Native Grasslands� (ESRD).� A simultaneous shift in principles has occurred � initially from reclamation of the site to equivalent land use, to current practices of restoration of the plant community at an industrial site. This presentation will give a brief history of how and why the Alberta Range Health Assessment tool (Barry Adams et al) has evolved into a major component of the reclamation certification process as a result of this shift in desired outcomes.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.