181298_LiDeafactsheet_140409_r9.inddCenovus’s Linear Deactivation Project Restoring caribou habitat in northern Alberta April 2014
Left: Preparing the soil (mounding the ground) to improve tree growth and reduce traffic in the corridor
Cenovus has a project under way to help protect and restore wildlife habitat
in northern Alberta. This includes the habitat of the Alberta woodland caribou,
which is considered an endangered species in Alberta and is protected by the
provincial Wildlife Act. Its population is declining.
Background During exploration activities over the past 40 years, many oil and gas companies cut corridors for seismic exploration and access routes. Exploration and restoration techniques have since improved so there’s less disturbance of the forest, but some of the older corridors have been slow to return to forest cover. These long open stretches within the boreal forest attract deer and moose as well as their predators – primarily wolves – to existing caribou habitat. This makes the caribou more vulnerable to being preyed upon.
What Cenovus is doing Our environmental specialists developed the Linear Deactivation Project (LiDea) to restore these older disturbed areas to their natural state. In areas near our Foster Creek oil sands operations, we’re testing a number of treatments, including mounding the ground to create a soil base that gives seedlings a better chance of survival, planting coniferous trees, adding woody debris and leaning tree stems into the pathways. Our goal is to restore the forest structure and give young trees a chance to grow more quickly, while making the seismic lines less attractive as travel corridors while regrowth is taking place.
Above: Wildlife travelling along corridors
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How LiDea’s success is measured As part of LiDea, we will conduct monitoring to determine if the treatments used on the old seismic lines make any difference to vegetation growth and wildlife use of the lines over a number of years.
During the initial pilot phase, a small area near Cenovus’s Foster Creek plant was used to test some of our ideas. The pilot confirmed that the seedlings grew faster and taller, and the small mammal community thrived. Building on that success, we increased the treatment area to 37,000 hectares in the northeast corner of the Alberta side of the Cold Lake Area Weapons Range.
In addition to the active treatment area, there are two similar sized control areas nearby that aren’t being treated. One control area includes disturbed areas (Control A), while the other has relatively undisturbed land (Control B). With these control areas, we’re able to measure how vegetation and wildlife respond to treatment compared with areas that haven’t been treated.
Bending and breaking adjacent trees over and onto the corridor to reduce traffic and improve micro-climate and light
Cenovus’s Linear Deactivation Project (LiDea)
A healthy tree beginning to grow in a corridor
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LiDea progress details
Design 2012 Complete • Study areas established • Treatment area = 37,000 hectares
Treatment
Total 150 km 210 km
• Left to be treated = 40 km • 55,000 trees planted
Summers of 2014, 2015
December 2014 – March 2015
Monitoring
2013-present Ongoing • 13 wolf packs tracked • Moose, bear, lynx and caribou data collected • Vegetation growth measured
Spring 2014 onwards Upcoming • Monitor wildlife and vegetation response
Regional collaboration
2013 onwards Ongoing
• Collaborate with other regional industry partners to share information and coordinate our efforts so we can use the techniques and lessons learned from LiDea more widely
Community involvement We thank the Cold Lake First Nations (CLFN) for their involvement in LiDea. Treatment equipment and operators have been supplied by DeChen Corporation, which is wholly owned by CLFN. As well, four first nations youth employed by Nu Nenne-Stantec Ltd. (a CLFN joint venture) completed the Forest Restoration module as part of Cenovus’s Green Sticker environmental program. Whenever possible, Cenovus prefers to hire and contract locally in the communities where we operate.
About us Cenovus Energy Inc. is a Canadian integrated oil company. We’re committed to applying fresh, progressive thinking to safely and responsibly unlock energy resources the world needs. Our operations include oil sands projects in northern Alberta, which use specialized methods to drill and pump the oil to the surface. We also have established natural gas and oil production in Alberta and Saskatchewan and 50% ownership in two U.S. refineries. Our shares trade under the symbol CVE, and are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. For more information, visit cenovus.com.
Cenovus’s Linear Deactivation Project (LiDea)
This factsheet contains forward-looking information prepared solely for the purposes of providing information about Cenovus Energy Inc.’s Linear Deactivation Project and is not intended to be relied upon for the purpose of making investment decisions, including without limitation, to purchase, hold or sell any securities of Cenovus Energy Inc. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as our actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Additional information regarding Cenovus Energy Inc. is available at cenovus.com.
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The active treatment area is located on approximately 37,000 hectares of land in the extreme northeast corner of the Alberta side of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range, Townships 72 and 73 and Range 1 and 2, west of the fourth meridian
Cenovus’s Linear Deactivation Project (LiDea)
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