Mycorrhizal fungi + trees -- practical beneficial tools for mineland reclamation
Successful consistent revegetation of drastically disturbed sites (i.e., acid coal spoils and mineral waste dumps) throughout the US and several foreign countries has been achieved by using the biological {open_quotes}tools{close_quotes} -- Mycor Tree {trademark} seedlings and native shrub and grass species. These unique plants are custom-grown in bareroot and container nurseries with selected mycorrhizal fungi. On disturbed sites, specific mycorrhizal fungi such as Pisolithus tinctorius (PT) or VAM provide significant benefits to the plant symbionts through increased water and nutrient absorption, decreased toxic materials absorption, and overall plant stress reduction. During the past 15 years, the Ohio Division of Reclamation--Abandoned Minelands Project (AML) has utilized the combination of the PT fungus and reforestation to significantly improve the effectiveness and reduce the cost of AML projects. Since 1981, over 3.5 million PT-inoculated pine and oak seedlings have been planted on approximately 2,500 acres of unreclaimed AML sites. Tree survival has averaged over 85 percent in the PT-inoculated tree plantings with few failures as compared with less than 50% survival and over 75% failures in previous plantings with the same noninoculated tree species. From 1981 to 1995, the 2,348 acres reclaimed in Ohio have cost approximately $832,000.00. Traditional reclamation would have cost approximately $14 million and represents a 94% cost reduction. The total PT reforestation cost in 1995 was $354.00 per acre and the added cost of the PT-inoculated seedlings is approximately 13% ($45.00/acre) or $.03 per seedling. This is a minute expense when compared to conventional AML reclamation costs ($6,000/acre). Interest in the application of this natural environmentally-friendly technology to mineland reclamation programs throughout the US and abroad is expanding.
- OSTI ID:
- 588894
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9605286-; TRN: 98:001296-0078
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 13. annual meeting of the American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation (ASSMR), Knoxville, TN (United States), 18-23 May 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Successes and failures: Applying research results to insure reclamation success; Daniels, W.L.; Burger, J.A.; Zipper, C.E. [Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (United States). Depts. of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences and Forestry] [eds.]; PB: 889 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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