Services

Our Services

Paragon’s team of professionals, technicians, GIS analysts and administrative staff works together to provide scientifically sound information, and recommendations that balance responsible land stewardship with resource utilization. Our services include:

Oil Sands

The focus on soil resources in the oil sands has increased over time. We help our clients consider soil conservation and reclamation scenarios, environmental approvals, mine planning needs, public relations and spatial constraints. Our specialists have significant experience in soil survey and construction monitoring and because of this, we find they are uniquely suited to oversee oil sands soil salvage and reclamation programs. Our field personnel are well-trained, active, engaged and committed to providing our clients with superior service.

  • Construction and Reclamation Supervision
  • Mine Reclamation and Closure Planning
  • Regulatory Support
  • Revegetation and Monitoring
  • SE and SML lease reclamation

Pipelines

As environmental approval conditions for pipeline projects have evolved, project proponents now have to consider numerous soil conservation and reclamation scenarios while navigating environmental approvals, project planning needs, landowner relations and space limitations. Paragon pioneered the practice of monitoring by soil specialists during pipeline construction. Our firm has comprehensive knowledge of regulatory requirements, with the experience and understanding of construction operations to be able to deliver unique solutions for any number of issues. Paragon is one of the most active and experienced consulting companies involved with environmental monitoring during pipeline construction in western and central Canada. We are proud of our technical expertise and client service.

  • Pre-Construction Assessment
  • Construction & Reclamation Planning and Supervision
  • Post-Construction Reclamation Assessment
  • Stress, Corrosion & Cracking Modeling
  • Environmental Inspection


Mining

Reclaiming mining areas to an equivalent land capability is a multifaceted process that is guided by regulatory bodies, and a combination of guidelines pooled across mining industries, scientific research groups, and inputs from various stakeholders and local communities. Paragon has worked in a variety of mine types including coal, oil sands, uranium, gold and other base metal mines. We have extensive field experience in operations and monitoring and have both witnessed and driven reclamation practice evolution. Paragon’s team of professionals have experience designing and implementing mine reclamation plans in prairie, foothills and northern boreal forest ecoregions. Reclamation plans are tailored to each client’s site specific soil and landscape conditions. By being actively involved with new innovations in the reclamation industry, Paragon is able to merge new approaches with the operational requirements of our clients.

  • Construction and Reclamation Supervision
  • Mine Reclamation and Closure Planning
  • Regulatory Support
  • Technical Review
  • Revegetation
  • Reclamation Monitoring

Baseline

Paragon’s expertise includes baseline soil survey, typically undertaken to provide information for soil conservation and reclamation planning, mine closure planning, pipeline construction monitoring, soils input to environmental impact assessments and pre-disturbance assessments, and future research and monitoring studies. All Paragon soil specialists are cross-trained in ecosite classification, vegetation identification and the interrelationships between soil, moisture and vegetation. The cross-training is highly beneficial when determining features like edaphic regime during site classification, and prepares all team members for working on pre-disturbance assessments and baseline surveys. In addition to our soil specialists and vegetation ecologists, we have a team of GIS analysts who play an integral role in planning our surveys, producing high quality spatial data and maps/figures for reports. Our GIS team ensures that collected spatial data is run through a rigorous quality control and quality assurance process, including checking for topological and geometric cleanliness and completeness. Our team has access to a wide range of geoprocessing tools that can be used to extract and visualize the data. This includes spatial and 3D analysis which allows information such as volumes, surficial calculations – hill shades, slope and aspect analysis, hydrological calculations – flow direction and accumulation, and 3D visualization. Outputs generated from these geoprocessing options are readily displayed in cartographic representations.

  • Soil survey
  • Vegetation survey
  • Wetland assessment
  • GIS – analysis, mapping, visualization
  • Land Capability Assessments


Vegetation

Paragon’s vegetation expertise spans classification of baseline ecosite conditions for development projects, mine reclamation vegetation planning, weed management programs at all scales, and replanting projects in a full range of ecosite types. We have special expertise in planting in reclamation soils and wetlands. We work with multi-disciplinary teams to determine suitable ecosite targets and revegetation prescriptions for mine closure plans in the oil sands and other mining industries, and are currently undertaking vegetation monitoring at several oil sands and coal mines to determine reclamation success. We have planned, supervised and completed large-scale revegetation programs (seeding, tree and shrub planting), and undertaken extensive weed management programs. We are specialists in hard-to-solve revegetation problems, and have active research programs on revegetation techniques such as nurse crops, fertilization, and cover crop competition.

  • Environmental Impact Assessment
  • Pre-Disturbance Assessment
  • Environmental Field Reports
  • Vegetation Management & Monitoring

Research and Training

Paragon is well known for our expertise in research, training, education and facilitation. Our team has extensive experience in scientific writing, with publications in top ranking international/national peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Ecology, Canadian Journal of Soil Science, Annals of Botany), and in collaboration with leaders in their associated fields. We have prepared seminars and poster presentations for national and international conferences in Canada, France, Switzerland, Scotland, South Africa, Chile, New Zealand and Australia. Paragon personnel have taught the Reclamation Criteria for Wellsites and Associated Facilities course at Enform many times since 1995 and played an integral part in the development of the 2010 Cultivated Reclamation Criteria for Wellsites and Associated Facilities. We have experience developing widely-used field sampling protocols and manuals (e.g., Land Capability Classification System for Forest Ecosystems in the Oil Sands [CEMA 2006], Agricultural Capability Clas-sification for Land Reclamation: Working Document [RRTAC 1994], Guidelines for Wetland Establishment on Reclaimed Oil Sands Leases [AENV 2000]).

  • Soil Vegetation and Wetland Research and Monitoring
  • Training Seminars and Workshops
  • Publications and Presentations