Current Studies Of Seedling Growth And Survival On Strip Mine Lands
Approximately 70 percent of the seedlings grown in the Bureau of Forestry nurseries are now planted on strip-mined land. The survival of trees on these sites has always been extremely variable. This variation is due to several factors, including spoil pH (Bond et al. 1954), toxicity of parent material (Clarkson 1975) (Berg and Vogel 1973) and quality of initial planting efforts. The pH of spoil material can affect the availability of both essential nutrients and toxic elements which can hinder root development. Spoil pH and toxicity vary considerably depending upon the character of the overburden disturbed. Also, initial herbaceous cover may compete with seedlings and result in high mortality. Because of these problems, it is important to know how well the trees that our nurseries are producing will grow under such conditions. Through Project 20, the Bureau of Forestry has conducted vegetation surveys of previously reclaimed lands and has initiated new research projects to examine survival of tree species planted in mine spoil.
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Author(s): Amy G. Griffith
Event:
Northeastern Area Nurserymen's Conference
1986 - State College, Pennsylvania
