Forest Land Reclamation

Torbert, J. L.; Burger, James A.

doi:10.2134/agronmonogr41.c14

Cited by 27 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…All species and stocktypes showed improved relative diameter growth after two years of herbicide use. Competing vegetation, particularly on post-SMCRA reclaimed sites, contributes to poor hardwood seedling survival and growth [4,9,[11][12][13] as heavy herbaceous cover can trap seedlings and create a dense overstory that smothers smaller seedlings [47]. Additionally, herbaceous cover often outcompetes planted seedlings for soil moisture and nutrients [31].…”

Section: Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977 (Public law 95-87) was enacted to address concerns regarding environmental problems associated with coal mining [3]. According to SMCRA, mining is considered a temporary land use; therefore, after surface mining operations are complete, land must be returned to a condition capable of supporting its pre-mining land cover [4]. Mine operators are required to submit a bond to cover the costs of reclaiming the site.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mine operators are required to submit a bond to cover the costs of reclaiming the site. Bond release occurs only if the land, at the end of a set time period (e.g., 5 years), meets the stated environmental conditions [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Forests 2020, 11, 72 2 of 16 competition from weeds [9,[11][12][13], and animal browse [14][15][16][17]. Performance of trees planted on reclaimed mines is often deficient compared with trees growing in native forest sites or other afforestation settings [4,18]. Many sites in the eastern USA reclaimed after the initiation of SMCRA were established as grasslands, wildlife habitat (grasslands with a mix of woody wildlife forage), or unmanaged forest (ground cover grasses with a mix of black locust, pine species, and woody shrubs) rather than native hardwood forests, and currently have limited economic value [4,19,20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Performance of trees planted on reclaimed mines is often deficient compared with trees growing in native forest sites or other afforestation settings [4,18]. Many sites in the eastern USA reclaimed after the initiation of SMCRA were established as grasslands, wildlife habitat (grasslands with a mix of woody wildlife forage), or unmanaged forest (ground cover grasses with a mix of black locust, pine species, and woody shrubs) rather than native hardwood forests, and currently have limited economic value [4,19,20]. Despite challenges under SMCRA, proper engineering and operational procedures to reclaim and prepare mine soils for forestry uses combined with an understanding of silvicultural practices to improve tree establishment and growth on these sites can yield productive forests at similar costs to other post-mining uses (e.g., pasture, wildlife habitat) [21,22], with productivity at least equal to native forests removed by mining [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hardwood Species Show Wide Variability in Response to Silviculture during Reclamation of Coal Mine Sites

Schempf

Jacobs

2020

Forests

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Coal is a significant energy source for the United States, and reclamation of surface mined lands is required under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. Reforestation of mined lands is challenging due to soil substrate properties including soil compaction, herbaceous competition, and animal browse, necessitating silvicultural treatments to help overcome such limiting factors. We investigated the field performance of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.), and swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor Willd.) planted on two mine reclamation sites in southern Indiana, USA, and evaluated the interactions of nursery stocktypes (container and bareroot), herbicide application, and tree shelters. Two-year survival averaged 80% across all species and stocktypes. Container stocktype had greater relative height and diameter growth (i.e., relative to initial size at planting), whereas bareroot had greater absolute height and diameter growth corresponding to initial stocktype differences. Shelter use increased height growth and reduced diameter growth across both stocktypes. Swamp white oak (Q. bicolor) had the highest survival rate and field performance regardless of silvicultural treatment, whereas red oak (Q. rubra) and black walnut (J. nigra) showed strong early regeneration responses to silvicultural treatments. Container seedlings showed promise as an alternative to bareroot seedlings to promote early growth on mine reclamation sites. Species-specific responses documented here indicate the need to consider the ecology and stress resistance of target species in developing cost-effective silvicultural prescriptions.

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Section: Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hardwood Species Show Wide Variability in Response to Silviculture during Reclamation of Coal Mine Sites

Schempf

Jacobs

2020

Forests

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Ecological Engineering and Restoration of Mine Ecosystems

Pietrzykowski

2021

Handbook of Ecological and Ecosystem Engineering

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Ten‐year trends reveal declining quality of seeded pollinator habitat on reclaimed mines regardless of seed mix diversity

Lybbert

Cusser

Hung

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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Plant–pollinator interactions represent a crucial ecosystem function threatened by anthropogenic landscape changes. Disturbances that reduce plant diversity are associated with floral resource and pollinator declines. Establishing wildflower plantings is a major conservation strategy targeting pollinators, the success of which depends on long‐term persistence of seeded floral communities. However, most pollinator‐oriented seeding projects are monitored for a few years, making it difficult to evaluate the longevity of such interventions. Selecting plant species to provide pollinators diverse arrays of floral resources throughout their activity season is often limited by budgetary constraints and other conservation priorities. To evaluate the long‐term persistence of prairie vegetation seeded to support pollinators, we sowed wildflower seed mixes into plots on a degraded reclaimed strip‐mine landscape in central Ohio, USA. We examined how pollinator habitat quality, measured as floral abundance and diversity, changed over 10 years (2009–2019) in the absence of management, over the course of the blooming season within each year, and across three seed mixes containing different numbers and combinations of flowering plant species. Seeded species floral abundance declined by more than 75% over the study, with the largest decline occurring between the fifth and seventh summers. Native and non‐native adventive flowering plants quickly colonized the plots and represented >50% of floral community abundances on average. Floral richness remained relatively constant throughout the study, with a small peak one year after plot establishment. Plots seeded with High‐Diversity Mixes averaged two or three more species per plot compared with a Low‐Diversity Mix, despite having been seeded with twice as many plant species. Within years, the abundance and diversity of seeded species were lowest early in the blooming season and increased monotonically from June to August. Adventive species exhibited the opposite trend, such that complementary abundance patterns of seeded and adventive species blooms resulted in a relatively constant floral abundance across the growing season. Seeded plant communities followed classic successional patterns in which annual species quickly established and flowered but were replaced by perennial species after the first few summers. Long‐term data on establishment and persistence of flower species can guide species selection for future‐oriented pollinator habitat restorations.

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Forest Land Reclamation

Cited by 27 publications

References 34 publications

Hardwood Species Show Wide Variability in Response to Silviculture during Reclamation of Coal Mine Sites

Hardwood Species Show Wide Variability in Response to Silviculture during Reclamation of Coal Mine Sites

Ecological Engineering and Restoration of Mine Ecosystems

Ten‐year trends reveal declining quality of seeded pollinator habitat on reclaimed mines regardless of seed mix diversity

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