Reclamation Considerations for Range, Pasture, and Hay Lands Receiving Twenty-Five to Sixty-Six Centimeters Annual Precipitation

Ries, R. E.; Nilson, David J.

doi:10.2134/agronmonogr41.c11

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 61 publications

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“…Soils on reclaimed surface coal mines are developing in anthropogenically altered landscapes and are pedologically young because of the removal and re‐spread of soil horizons (Sencindiver & Ammons, ). Surface mining and reclamation is an extensive process, and reclamation success is largely determined by comparisons of aboveground vegetative cover, species diversity, and productivity between reclaimed and undisturbed reference areas (Ries & Nilson, ). Following coal extraction and land reclamation, reclaimed lands in the USA are placed into a performance bond for a minimum of 10 years (SMCRA, ) until predetermined soil and vegetation parameters are satisfied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Belowground Attributes on Reclaimed Surface Mine Lands over a 40‐year Chronosequence

et al. 2017

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Reclamation following mining activities often aims to restore stable soils that support productive and diverse native plant communities. The soil re‐spread process increases soil compaction, which may alter soil water, plant composition, rooting depths, and soil organic matter. This may have a direct impact on vegetation establishment and species recruitment. Seasonal wet/dry and freeze/thaw patterns are thought to alleviate soil compaction over time. However, this has not been formally evaluated on reclaimed landscapes at large scales. Our objectives were to (1) determine soil compaction alleviation, (2) rooting depth, and (3) spatial patterns of soil water content over a time‐since‐reclamation gradient. Soil resistance to penetration varied by depth, with shallow compaction remaining unchanged, but deeper compaction increased over time rather than being alleviated. Root biomass and depth did not increase with time and was consistently less than the values in the reference location. Plant communities initially had a strong native component, but quickly became dominated by invasive species following reclamation, and soil water content became increasingly homogeneous over the 40‐year chronosequence. Seasonal weather patterns and soil organic matter additions can reduce soil compaction if water infiltration is not limited. Shallow and strongly fibrous‐rooted grasses present in reclaimed sites added organic matter to shallow soil layers, but did not penetrate the compacted layers and allow water infiltration. Strong linkages between land management strategies, soil properties, and vegetation composition can advance reclamation efforts and promote heterogeneous landscapes. However, current post‐reclamation management strategies are incompletely utilizing natural seasonal weather patterns to reduce soil compaction. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Belowground Attributes on Reclaimed Surface Mine Lands over a 40‐year Chronosequence

et al. 2017

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Ongoing Evaluation of Effects From Variable Topsoil Depths at a Coal Mine in Northeastern Wyoming

Schladweiler¹,

Vance²,

Legg³

et al. 2005

JASMR

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Abstract. After passage of the Surface Coal Mine Reclamation Act in 1977, studies on mine reclaimed areas in the late 1970's and early 1980's evaluated varying topsoil depths over unsuitable backfill on vegetation productivity and cover. In recent years, several of those earlier studies have been revisited to provide long-term results on vegetation productivity, cover and diversity. A more recent study developed in 1999 was conducted to evaluate variable topsoil depth on soil and vegetation factors at the North Antelope/Rochelle Mine (NARM). Backfill at this location did not exhibit unsuitable plant growth parameters, based on Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) guidelines. The formal study evaluated vegetation parameters such as cover, production and diversity, and soil differences in pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) between three treatment depths, i.e., 15, 30 and 56 cm. Reclaimed and two native vegetation reference areas were sampled three times during the 2000-2002 growing seasons. At the end of the 2002 monitoring, results were mixed. After that time, the reclaimed area only continued to be part of the ongoing vegetation monitoring program at NARM. Five years of continuous monitoring (2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004) were statistically analyzed to determine significant trends between topsoil depth treatments, as the seeded areas matured. No significant differences were found between treatments for two measures of cover and three measures of species richness. Although no significant differences were found between treatments for shrub density, positive increasing trends in the more shallow treatments are evident.Additional Key Words: vegetation cover, shrub density, plant diversity, topsoil treatment depth.

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The Influence of Management on Microbial Biomass and Soil Organic Carbon in Reclaimed Surface Coal Mines of Wyoming

Anderson¹,

Stahl²,

Ingram³

2006

JASMR

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This study was conducted to determine the long-term influence (>11 years) of a number of reclamation management practices on the concentration microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and the concentration and mass of soil organic carbon (SOC) in reclaimed soils from a number of surface coal mines located in Wyoming. We compared a number of commonly used reclamation management practices (grazed vs. un-grazed; stockpiled topsoil vs. direct hauled topsoil; hay-crimp mulch vs. stubble mulch; grass seed mixture vs. shrub seed mixture) at five surface coal-mines. In addition, a native, undisturbed prairie soil was also sampled at each of the five coal-mines native sites. Reclamation management practices compared in this study, with the exception of stubble mulching, did not have significantly different long-term effects on SOC concentrations. Microbial biomass C was more influenced than SOC by the compared practices in the soils examined. In more than half of the sites analyzed, reclaimed soils had SOC concentrations similar to undisturbed soil reflecting the potential to accumulate C in reclaimed coal-mine soils.

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Reclamation Considerations for Range, Pasture, and Hay Lands Receiving Twenty-Five to Sixty-Six Centimeters Annual Precipitation

Cited by 3 publications

References 61 publications

Belowground Attributes on Reclaimed Surface Mine Lands over a 40‐year Chronosequence

Belowground Attributes on Reclaimed Surface Mine Lands over a 40‐year Chronosequence

Ongoing Evaluation of Effects From Variable Topsoil Depths at a Coal Mine in Northeastern Wyoming

The Influence of Management on Microbial Biomass and Soil Organic Carbon in Reclaimed Surface Coal Mines of Wyoming

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