Hardwood Tree Growth on Amended Mine Soils in West Virginia

Wilson-Kokes, Lindsay; DeLong, Curtis; Thomas, C.; Emerson, Paul; O'Dell, Keith; Skousen, Jeff

doi:10.2134/jeq2013.03.0103

Cited by 27 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…With an overall average tree height of about 5 m, average tree height on Brown was over twice as high as Shale, nearly four times higher than Mixed, and over five times higher than Gray. Five species (American sycamore, black locust, chestnut oak, red oak, and white oak) had average heights greater than 5 m on Brown, consistent with the literature documenting some of these species as competitive candidates for reforestation on similar sites [10,11,17,18]. Canopy cover follows trends similar to tree growth, with highest values in Brown and lowest in Gray.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Spoil Type Influences Soil Genesis and Forest Development on an Appalachian Surface Coal Mine Ten Years after Placement

Sena

Agouridis

Miller

et al. 2018

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Surface mining for coal (or other mineral resources) is a major driver of land-use change around the world and especially in the Appalachian region of the United States. Intentional and well-informed reclamation of surface-mined land is critical for the restoration of healthy ecosystems on these disturbed sites. In Appalachia, the pre-mining land cover is predominately mixed hardwood forest, with rich species diversity. In recent years, Appalachian mine reforestation has become an issue of concern, prompting the development of the Forestry Reclamation Approach, a series of mine reforestation recommendations. One of these recommendations is to use the best available soil substitute; however, the characteristics of the "best" soil substitute have been an issue. This study was initiated to compare the suitability of several types of mine spoil common in the Appalachian region: brown sandstone (Brown), gray sandstone (Gray), mixed spoils (Mixed), and shale (Shale). Experimental plots were established in 2007 with each spoil type replicated three times. These plots were planted with a mix of native hardwood species. Ten years after plot construction and planting, tree growth and canopy cover were highest in Brown, followed by Shale, Mixed, and Gray. Soil conditions (particularly pH) in Brown and Shale were more favorable for native tree growth than Mixed or Gray, largely explaining these differences in tree growth and canopy cover. However, soil chemistry did not clearly explain differences in tree growth between Brown and Shale. These differences were more likely related to differences in near-surface soil temperature, which is related to soil color and available shade.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Spoil Type Influences Soil Genesis and Forest Development on an Appalachian Surface Coal Mine Ten Years after Placement

Sena

Agouridis

Miller

et al. 2018

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Detailed annual results of tree survival and growth on the site have been previously reported (Wilson-Kokes et al, 2013b). In brief, these data showed that after six growing seasons (2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012), tree survival was significantly higher in brown mine soil treatments compared to gray mine soils (83 vs. 72 %; data not shown).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Survival and growth of trees as well as soil physical and chemical properties was measured from 2007 to 2012 as reported in Wilson-Kokes et al (2013b). Tree growth was assessed by measuring height and stem diameter at 2.5 cm above ground, and a tree volume index was calculated as height × diameter 2 .…”

Section: Sampling and Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Soil biochemical properties in brown and gray mine soils with and without hydroseeding

Thomas¹,

Sexstone²,

Skousen³

2015

SOIL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Surface coal mining in the eastern USA disturbs hundreds of hectares of land every year and removes valuable and ecologically diverse eastern deciduous forests. Reclamation involves restoring the landscape to approximate original contour, replacing the topsoil, and revegetating the site with trees and herbaceous species to a designated post-mining land use. Re-establishing an ecosystem of ecological and economic value as well as restoring soil quality on disturbed sites are the goals of land reclamation, and microbial properties of mine soils can be indicators of restoration success. Reforestation plots were constructed in 2007 using weathered brown sandstone or unweathered gray sandstone as topsoil substitutes to evaluate tree growth and soil properties at Arch Coal's Birch River mine in West Virginia, USA. All plots were planted with 12 hardwood tree species and subplots were hydroseeded with a herbaceous seed mix and fertilizer. After 6 years, the average tree volume index was nearly 10 times greater for trees grown in brown (3853 cm 3 ) compared to gray mine soils (407 cm 3 ). Average pH of brown mine soils increased from 4.7 to 5.0, while gray mine soils declined from 7.9 to 7.0. Hydroseeding doubled tree volume index and ground cover on both mine soils. Hydroseeding doubled microbial biomass carbon (MBC) on brown mine soils (8.7 vs. 17.5 mg kg −1 ), but showed no effect on gray mine soils (13.3 vs. 12.8 mg kg −1 ). Hydroseeding also increased the ratio of MBC to soil organic C in both soils and more than tripled the ratio for potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN) to total N. Brown mine soils were a better growth medium than gray mine soils and hydroseeding was an important component of reclamation due to improved biochemical properties and microbial activity in mine soils.

show abstract

“…Wood chips and mulch have also been explored as reclamation amendments (McConkey et al 2012). For example application of a woody mulch covering to unweathered gray sandstone materials improved tree growth to the level observed in brown sandstone materials (Wilson-Kokes et al 2013b). However, these types of finer woody debris can insulate the ground (creating late thaw), alter nutrient dynamics, and impede emergence and establishment of vegetation (Landhäusser et al 2007;Vinge and Pyper 2012) and thus their use should be confined to shallow depths and for specific objectives.…”

Section: Topographic Variation From Microsite To Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

Forest restoration following surface mining disturbance: challenges and solutions

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many forested landscapes around the world are severely altered during mining for their rich mineral and energy reserves. Herein we provide an overview of the challenges inherent in efforts to restore mined landscapes to functioning forest ecosystems and present a synthesis of recent progress using examples from North America, Europe and Australia. We end with recommendations for further elaboration of the Forestry Reclamation Approach emphasizing: (1) Landform reconstruction modelled on natural systems and creation of topographic heterogeneity at a variety of scales; (2) Use and placement of overburden, capping materials and organic amendments to facilitate soil development processes and create a suitable rooting medium for trees; (3) Alignment of landform, topography, overburden, soil and tree species to create a diversity of target ecosystem types; (4) Combining optimization of stock type and planting techniques with early planting of a diversity of tree species; (5) Encouraging natural regeneration as much as possible; (6) Utilizing direct placement of forest floor material combined with seeding of native species to rapidly re-establish native forest understory vegetation; (7) Selective ongoing management to encourage development along the desired successional trajectory.

show abstract

Hardwood Tree Growth on Amended Mine Soils in West Virginia

Cited by 27 publications

References 23 publications

Spoil Type Influences Soil Genesis and Forest Development on an Appalachian Surface Coal Mine Ten Years after Placement

Spoil Type Influences Soil Genesis and Forest Development on an Appalachian Surface Coal Mine Ten Years after Placement

Soil biochemical properties in brown and gray mine soils with and without hydroseeding

Forest restoration following surface mining disturbance: challenges and solutions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About