Research from the University of Alberta's Department of Renewable Resources indicates that nitrogen and sulphur from oilsands emissions could be acting as a fertilizer in some nearby forested areas, in conjunction with other cations released in the air. As explained in this UAlberta News article, the study results show that trees appear to be growing faster in areas where there are high deposits of the cations. However, researchers caution that the long-term effects of this type of fertilization need to be monitored.
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