Early Successional Processes of Experimentally-Reclaimed Mine Sites in Eastern Ohio and the Restoration of American Chestnut
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: Surface mining for coal represents one of the most severe and extensive forms of disturbance throughout the Appalachian region of the Eastern Deciduous Forest.Federal law has required reclamation of mined sites to mitigate environmental hazards since the late 1970s.However, the methods typically utilized do not allow for a return to the forest cover found on these sites prior to mining.New reclamation methods have been proposed that aim to expedite a return to native forest cover through the use of compactionreducing soil-preparation methods.One of the major components of the Eastern Deciduous Forest, prior to its demise due to an introduced pathogen, was the American chestnut (Castanea dentata).The original extent of the American chestnut and the Appalachian coal fields are nearly concurrent, possibly making these experimentallyreclaimed sites ideal for restoration plantings of disease-resistant chestnut hybrids.The work here has been conducted on an experimentally-reclaimed mine site in Belmont County Ohio, and attempts to shed light on two broad questions: 1) What can be expected during restoration plantings of American chestnuts on experimentally-reclaimed mine lands, and 2) What types of plant communities are becoming established on these sites during the initial natural colonization phase of succession that is occurring there?I found
Author: Keith E. Gilland
Institution: Ohio University
Language: English
Subfield: Forestry
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2522107492