Are the oilsands protecting trees?

摘要

Operations in the oilsands, it would seem, are unintentionally defending Canada's boreal forest from industrial contaminants, reports the Daily Oil Bulletin. A study conducted by the Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA), Assessing forest health in the Athabasca oil sands region, found that the dust kicked up by oilsands operations might have a neutralizing effect on the acidic materials raining on the vegetation from the same operations. "[Dust] is counteracting whatever acid disposition is maybe being deposited in a drier wet form from the stacks and the mine fleets," says Kevin Percy, executive director of the WBEA.