Using soil island plantings as dispersal vectors in large area copper tailings reforestation
- Dept. of Agriculture, Wenatchee, WA (United States). Forestry Science Lab.
The Wenatchee National Forest undertook the reforestation of the 80 acre (35 ha) Holden copper mine tailings of Washington State in 1989 by using 20, one-fourth acre, triangular shaped soil islands as a source of plant propagules targeted for gravel-covered tailings surfaces. The islands were constructed of soil and surface litter transported from a nearby gravel pit, and planted with four species of conifer seedlings, the shrub Sitka alder (Alnus sinuata) and eight species of grasses. Conifer and alder seedlings were also planted in graveled covered tailings with amendments. Since reproductive status of the conifers would not occur for several years, this propagule vector hypothesis was tested by measuring the distances traveled onto the tailings surface by grass seeds. The number of grass shoots established in four treatment blocks in target plots downwind from the soil island source plantings was also determined. After 36 months, grass seed had migrated to a distance of 32 feet (11 m) from the soil island source. Grass shoots were present within 10 feet (3 m) downwind of the soil island, the most frequent being Mountain brome (Bromus marginatus). Among the tree species, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and Sitka alder grew an average of 6 inches (15--16 cm) after 40 months on the soil islands but somewhat less on the tailing surface. By the third growing season, the only tree species in reproductive condition on the tailings was alder. The soil-island technique is successful for grass dispersal and may have potential for conifer and alder migration.
- OSTI ID:
- 361629
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9805185-; TRN: IM9933%%10
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 15. American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation (ASSMR) annual national meeting, St. Louis, MO (United States), 17-21 May 1998; Other Information: PBD: [1998]; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 15. annual national meeting of the American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation. Mining -- Gateway to the future; Throgmorton, D.; Nawrot, J.; Mead, J.; Galetovic, J.; Joseph, W. [eds.]; PB: 801 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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