Building an access road in a forested area used to mean creating a wide right-of-way (ROW) and trucking in significant amounts of sand and gravel in order to build a permanent road to carry heavy equipment in and out of the lease.
But that was before employees at Devon Canada saw an innovative way to create access roads that are temporary, and therefore have much less impact on the environment. The solution came from the very trees that are cleared to build the ROW; the answer was mulch.
Devon’s Surface Land & Construction team partnered with internal and external stakeholders to trial the minimal disturbance technique for access roads in the Grande Prairie area and at Jackfish, Devon’s drilled oil sands projects.
Reducing the size of the ROW by 50 per cent conserved plant and wildlife habitat. And instead of burning the waste wood from clearing the ROW, the wood was turned into mulch and layered on top of the much smaller right-of-way (any merchantable wood from clearing the ROW is sold).
When the access road is no longer required, the mulch is collected and reused on another project.
“We didn’t experience any load delays or safety issues with this new approach,” says Kevin Stark, Manager Surface Land. “And, there are so many benefits for the environment; the root structure under the mulch remains intact, re-growth isn’t compromised, and no new species get introduced to the area.”
Devon was so pleased with the results of the initial trials that the company expanded the trial program to a number of other lease sites, with great success. Wherever possible, the company plans to use the minimal disturbance technique to build its access roads.
The Surface Land & Construction team had to work closely with contractors and government to educate and engage them in the new method. The company also held two open house events to educate employees on this and other innovative ideas that employees are developing and bringing forward. There was a healthy dose of skepticism initially, but the “road scientists” were given the benefit of the doubt.
“Trust and good communication have been key to making this work,” says Stark. “The company fully supports the work our team does and ensures we have the required resources to be successful. We also had tremendous support from government. We can accomplish amazing things when we work cooperatively.”
He says Devon is committed to going above and beyond minimum standards. “We believe that one project at a time we can continue to rebuild social trust in industry.”
Devon is a founding member of the Evergreen Centre for Resource Excellence and Innovation in Grande Prairie which promotes Minimal Disturbance innovation, land stewardship, and education through demonstration to the public.
Devon is always looking for innovative ways to improve environmental sustainability and shift how it works with stakeholders, including government. The company maintains solutions don’t have to be complicated; they just take ingenuity and a positive attitude coupled with smart and committed employees dedicated to doing the right thing.