Limiting factors for lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta ) and white spruce ( Picea glauca ) growth differ in some reconstructed sites in the Athabasca oil sands region

•Substrates used in soil reconstruction in oil sands reclamation affect soil properties.•Tailings sand substrate limits water availability for lodgepole pine grown on it.•Low N availability was the main limiting factor for white spruce growth on overburden substrates.