When deposited to soil, sulphur (emitted as SO2) and nitrogen (emitted as NOx) may cause acidification. This soil acidification alters the chemistry and nutrient levels in the soil, which in turn may affect the health of trees and other vegetation.

The jack pine monitoring network was established in 1996 to provide data on the responses of the boreal forest to the deposition of air emissions containing sulphur and nitrogen from industrial (oil sands) and municipal (Ft. McMurray) sources in the region.

Jack pine was selected as the first forest type for inclusion in the TEEM program. Jack pine grows on sandy soils that have very low capacity to buffer acid inputs, and low nutrient levels. Regionally, these are the most sensitive mineral soils to soil acidification and nutrient loss, and any effects of soil acidification are expected to be first observed in jack pine trees. An photo of the soil profile at jack pine sites is shown.

Site selection was based upon two major considerations. First, the sites needed to be "ecologically analogous" - as similar as possible in soil and forest characteristics. This similarity allows in-depth comparison of changes observed at one site to changes observed at another. The photos shown here illustrate the typical jack pine/lichen community chosen for this program, and the sandy soils that are present at Jack Pine sites. The second consideration was distance from the Syncrude and Suncor oil sands plants. Based upon a deposition model run in the early 1995 (the most recent results available during the site selection process), five sites were selected in a "low deposition area", and five in an area of "higher deposition". Efforts to confirm the deposition at each of these sites have been ongoing since 1998, and continue today. Indications are that the "low deposition" sites are receiving less acidic deposition than the "high deposition" sites.

A photo of site JPH6 is shown here. As it is "ecologically analogous" to the other jack pine sites, the forest structure (tree age, tree density, undergrowth) is very similar to that at the other jack pine monitoring sites. Sampling at the sites is planned to occur every five to six years. Acidification of soil and effects of soil acidification on trees is a slow process, and sampling more frequently than five to six years is not required. At each sampling time, the trees are measured (height, diameter, crown length), and a series of soil, tree and lichen samples are collected for laboratory analysis. The results are reported to TEEM, and upon TEEM acceptance, the reports are made public through the Wood Buffalo Environmental Association. The 1998 TEEM Annual Report provides a complete description of the results of the first full sampling program. Sampling is next scheduled for 2004, at which time the complete set of soil, tree and lichen samples will be collected and analysed.


Other TEEM programs that are related to the Jack Pine monitoring network are the Expansion of the Jack Pine Monitoring Network, the Aspen Monitoring Network, the Passive Air Quality Monitoring Network, and the Edge Effect Pilot Study.