Silvicultural assessment of reforestation under specific spoil bank conditions

Abstract

Forest reclamation of spoil banks in mining areas in the North-West of the country started in the second half of the last century. Nowadays forest stands growing on anthropogenic substrates which are still unlike to forest soils, are getting in the phase of possible natural and/or artificial regeneration. The basic characteristics of substrate in the area and ecological attitude of used tree species are driving variables for successful regenerations. The study summarizes the vitality and growth of selected species on anthropogenic substrates in the area with the recommendations of key tree species used for forest reclamation. The results show the best adaptation to anthropogenic substrates for black alder and maple.

Aboveground biomass and nutrient accumulation dynamics in young black alder, silver birch and Scots pine plantations on reclaimed oil shale mining areas in Estonia

“…The survival and height of black alder were the highest among the studied tree species. Our findings are in accordance with the results of Oliveira et al (2005) and Kupka and Dimitrovský (2006), who found that Alnus glutinosa had the best adaptation to anthropogenic substrates in the brown coal mining areas.…”

Wood Density of Northern Red Oak and Pedunculate Oak Grown in Former Brown Coal Mine in the Czech Republic

“…Spoil tips became the subject of interest of forestry reclamation in the second half of the last century. One of the trees used for reclamation was oak (Kupka and Dimitrovský 2006). The suitability of using pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) and northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) in the reclamation of brown coal spoil tips was confirmed by Bažant (2010).…”

Positive effect of fir-rowan intimate mixture on new forest floor and topsoil following afforestation

“…European rowan is also one of the most palatable woody species (Van Beeck Calkoen et al 2022;Caduff et al 2022), which performs better when fenced (Den Herder et al 2009) in the case of game overpopulation. Although it grows well in the open-field conditions and it tolerates poor soil (even spoil-heap substrates of brown coal mining origin), unfenced, frequently-browsed rowans can show the worst survival rates and tree quality (Kupka, Dimitrovský 2006). Similarly to monospecific stands of these two species, high palatability of the Fi-Ro mixture, and therefore increased costs of the game damage control, can be expected.…”