World pioneer in land reclamation education
The University of Alberta’s Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences (ALES)
Candace and Heather doing revegetation assessments.
The Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences (ALES) at the University of Alberta has a long history of research and curriculum to address land reclamation. Although the faculty name changed several times and programs evolved, the foundation and evolution of the land reclamation program and its predecessors places ALES as a pioneer in land reclamation education, in Alberta, Canada and the world.
Prior to the 1990s soils research and education was a major part of the faculty’s agriculture and forestry programs. Soils majors populated consulting firms, government and industry, where the rapidly evolving land reclamation science was developing. The sustainable use of natural resources became a tenet of the faculty.