Recovery of Native Plant Communities After Mining PDF Download

Author: Karen Davis Holl
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Abandoned mined lands reclamation
Languages : en
Pages : 8

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Author: Ray W. Brown
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Native plants for cultivation
Languages : en
Pages : 56

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Book Description
Methods for restoring native plant communities on acidic mine spoils at high elevations were evaluated in a gbsdemonstration area gcs in the New World Mining District of southern Montana. Research plots installed in 1976 were assessed for 22 years and compared with adjacent native reference plant communities. A 1.5-acre (0.61-ha) area of mine spoils was shaped and treated with hydrated lime, organic matter, and fertilizer. The area was then seeded heavily with five native grasses collected from adjacent native plant communities. Natural seed rain, transplanting, refertilization, and use of introduced species were also studied. During periods of fertilization, biomass and cover were twofold greater than in adjacent native reference communities in some years, but then rapidly declined to levels observed in native reference communities. Natural succession was accelerating within the demonstration area toward formation of a native community with characteristics similar to adjacent reference areas. Soil genesis was progressing and a soil gbsA gcs horizon was developing. Use of native seral species appears necessary for long-term formation of a self-sustaining natural community. Both transplanting and natural seed rain on treated spoils resulted in significantly lower biomass and cover levels than on the seeded area. Our data demonstrate that acidic mine spoils, such as in the New World area, can be treated successfully in-place with lime, organic matter, and fertilizer, and then seeded with a mixture of native seral grasses, followed by surface mulching with erosion blanket. Capping with native soils is unnecessary. Reclamation principles and procedures are summarized.

Author: Kathryn Aubrey Villazon
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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ABSTRACT: Because Florida's natural ecosystems are increasingly invaded by exotic and undesirable plant species, invasive species removal is a major part of ecosystem restoration, and revegetation efforts after invasive species clearing is often necessary. Invasive species removal can be achieved through mechanical, cultural, chemical, or biological means. Few studies have addressed methods for successful native plant recolonization after invasive species removal using revegetation strategies. Different techniques for native species establishment were investigated in formerly invaded hydric and mesic-xeric ecosystems. The hydric site, consisting of two marl prairie ponds, and a mesic-xeric site, an abandoned phosphate mine, were both initially monotypic stands of Salix caroliniana Michx. (coastalplain willow) and Imperata cylindrica (L.) P. Beauv. (cogongrass), respectively. Following removal of the invasive species either by mechanical or chemical methods, we investigated different revegetation techniques. At the hydric site, the effects of two planting densities, two elevations, and two different propagule sizes on plant survival and volume of installed native plants were researched.

Author: Paul J. R. Broese van Groenou
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Coastal plants
Languages : en
Pages : 143

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Author: Ashley Stevenson Grant
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Environmental impact analysis
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Road decommissioning is increasingly recognized as a critical first step in the restoration of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. In the past two years alone, the United States Congress has appropriated $90 million for road removal and watershed restoration. Despite this relatively large public investment, little is known about the efficacy or ecological effects of road-removal practices. One particularly important issue is the impact of post-road-removal revegetation strategies. This study evaluated 1) short-term effects of road decommissioning on plant community composition, 2) effects of seed-mix seed origin (native vs. nonnative), species diversity, and seeding density on vegetative establishment, and 3) impact of overstory canopy and coarse woody debris on revegetation success on recently decommissioned roads. Total vegetative cover declined by 60% one-year after decommissioning, with nonnative plants showing the greatest declines (ca. 90%). Although managers often justify the use of nonnative seed mixes by the need for rapid establishment of plants on disturbed sites, we did not find significant differences in percent cover of total vegetation between plots seeded with native versus nonnative species, one year after treatment. Furthermore, cover of native species was significantly higher on plots seeded with natives compared to other treatment plots (12.3% vs. 7.8%, respectively). On treatments seeded with nonnative species, 18% of total vegetative cover was due to cover of seeded species; in comparison, seeded species accounted for 43% of total vegetative cover on native treatments. These findings suggest that native seed mixes actually may outperform nonnative ones in terms of vegetative establishment after disturbance associated with road removal.

Author: Marie Katherine Wilkin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chaparral
Languages : en
Pages : 279

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This study is based at Rocky Canyon Quarry in San Luis Obispo, County, CA. At RCQ, the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA) of 1975 was interpreted as restoring the landscape to native plant communities. Native plant community restoration projects have occurred there since 1993 through cooperation with California Polytechnic state University Biology Department. Past restoration techniques were evaluated and new techniques were researched to improve chaparral restoration based on the natural processes of fire.

Author: Paul Michael Antonelli
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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The semiarid grasslands of interior British Columbia (B.C.) are a unique ecosystem which provides an array of economic and ecological resources, but historic and current human and environmental pressures have led to their decline. Surface mining involves stripping the natural vegetation and topsoil, altering of natural topography, and deposition of waste materials (e.g. tailings and waste rock) at the landscape level. Restoration of natural soil processes and native vegetation communities on such sites is challenging because 1) the mine soils are often characterized by having adverse physiochemical properties such as high metals content, extreme pH, and low organic matter, 2) there are barriers to native seed acquisition and native species do not perform well on nutrient poor sites, and 3) seedling germination and establishment is limited in semiarid environments because of prevailing harsh climatic conditions. The primary objectives at the onset of mine reclamation are to ameliorate the physical and chemical properties of the soils (usually with an organic amendment) and establish a sustainable vegetative cover to prevent wind and water erosion of metals and other harmful contaminants (a process known as phytostabilization). Facilitation by nurse plants and cover crops has recently come to the forefront as a potentially promising practice for restoring natural communities on degraded sites in stressful environments. The objectives of this thesis were to 1) investigate the suitability of locally available organic soil amendments and native bunchgrasses (Pseudoroegneria spicata and Festuca campestris) for reclamation at the Historic Afton Tailings Storage Facility (TSF), near Kamloops, B.C., in a greenhouse study and 2) assess the facilitative effects of soil amendments, Artemesia tridentata nurse plants, and agronomic cover crops on various abiotic and biotic parameters relating to native grassland species establishment at the TSF. In the greenhouse, plants were grown in various ash-compost-wood chip combinations and were evaluated using a randomized complete block design with 13 treatments and 10 replicates. In the field, native plants were seeded in small (1.23 m2) study plots with cover crops and/or planted with nurse plants in amended tailings and assessed in a randomized complete block design with 8 treatments and 3 replicates. The results of the greenhouse study indicated that compost was the most effective amendment, as it effectively ameliorated tailings physiochemical properties and promoted significantly greater seedling production. Analysis of shoot tissue elemental concentrations after 90 d growth determined that both species were not suitable candidates for phytostabilization because they accumulated high amounts of molybdenum. Artemisia tridentata nurse plants appeared to exert some facilitative effects including shading which resulted in lower soil temperatures early in the growing season, but there was also some evidence that they competed for soil moisture. Nonetheless, plant species diversity was higher under nurse plants compared to in the open, which indicated that some facilitative mechanisms may be at play. Cover crops appeared to have a negative effect on native plant establishment which was likely because of their aggressive growth characteristics and increased competition for soil moisture. The findings of this study provide important considerations for mine restoration practices in B.C.'s semiarid grasslands.

Author: Jared Rosenbaum
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 1550927736
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
Reconnect. Restore. Reciprocate. Repairing landscapes and reconnecting us to the wild plant communities around us. Integrating restoration practices, foraging, herbalism, rewilding, and permaculture, Wild Plant Culture is a comprehensive guide to the ecological restoration of native edible and medicinal plant communities in Eastern North America. Blending science, practice, and traditional knowledge, it makes bold connections that are actionable, innovative, and ecologically imperative for repairing both degraded landscapes and our broken cultural relationship with nature. Coverage includes: Understanding and engaging in mutually beneficial human-plant connections Techniques for observing the land's existing and potential plant communities Baseline monitoring, site preparation, seeding, planting, and maintaining restored areas Botanical fieldwork restoration stories and examples Detailed profiles of 209 native plants and their uses. Both a practical guide and an evocative read that will transport you deep into the natural landscape, Wild Plant Culture is an essential toolkit for gardeners, farmers, and ecological restoration practitioners, highlighting the important role humans play in tending and mending native plant communities.

Author: Kathleen A. Johnson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Restoration ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 170

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Author: Dr Michael John de Smith
Publisher: The Winchelsea Press
ISBN: 1912556081
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 827

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Book Description
A Comprehensive Handbook of Statistical Concepts, Techniques and Software Tools.