Fire ephemerals are short-lived plants that primarily germinate after fire. Fresh and laboratory-stored seeds are difficult to germinateex situ, even in response to fire-related cues such as heat and smoke. Seeds of eight Australian fire ephemeral species were buried in unburnt and recently burnt sites of natural bushland during autumn. Seeds were exhumed after 6 and 12 months and incubated in water and smoke water, either with or without a heat treatment at 70°C for 1 h. Generally, germination did not increase after 6 months of burial, but after 12 months of burial germination was enhanced in seven of the eight species.Actinotus leucocephalusproduced higher germination following 12 months of burial without any further treatment, and smoke water and heat further improved germination. The fourGyrostemonaceaespecies,Codonocarpus cotinifolius,Gyrostemon racemiger,Gyrostemon ramulosusandTersonia cyathiflora, only germinated in the presence of smoke water, and their germination was enhanced by burial. Burial improved germination in response to a heat treatment inGrevillea scapigeraandAlyogyne huegeliiseeds, but did not enhanceAlyogyne hakeifoliagermination. During concurrent dry laboratory storage of seeds at 15°C, onlyActinotus leucocephalusproduced increased germination in response to smoke water and heat over time. In summary, soil burial can alter the dormancy status of a number of Australian fire ephemeral seeds, rendering them more responsive to germination cues such as smoke water and heat. The requirement for a period of burial before seeds become responsive to smoke and/or heat would ensure that seeds persist in the soil until a subsequent fire, when there is an increase in nutrients available for growth and reduced competition from other plants.

Temperature and moisture influence dormancy cycling in Actinotus leucocephalus seeds. These factors alone did not simulate dormancy cycling of Tersonia cyathiflora seeds under the conditions tested.

Fire ephemerals are short-lived plants with seeds that persist in the soil and germinate after a fire or physical soil disturbance. Ex situ germination of many Australian fire ephemerals has previously been difficult. Dormancy was present in most of the nine fire ephemerals examined. Alyogyne hakeifolia (Giord.) Alef. and Alyogyne huegelii (Endl.) Fryxell (Malvaceae) seeds had physical and possibly also physiological dormancy, Actinotus leucocephalus Benth. (Apiaceae) seeds had morphophysiological dormancy, Austrostipa compressa (R.Br.) S.W.L. Jacobs & J. Everett and Austrostipa macalpinei (Reader) S.W.L. Jacobs & J. Everett (Poaceae) seeds were either non-dormant or possessed physiological dormancy, and seeds of all remaining species possessed physiological dormancy. A proportion of the Alyogyne hakeifolia, Alyogyne huegelii, Austrostipa compressa and Austrostipa macalpinei seed populations were non-dormant because some seeds could germinate at the various incubation temperatures without further treatment. At 20°C, artificial methods of inducing germination such as manual or acid scarification were among the optimal treatments for Austrostipa compressa, Austrostipa macalpinei, Alyogyne huegelii, Actinotus leucocephalus and Grevillea scapigera A.S. George (Proteaceae), and gibberellic acid induced maximum germination of Tersonia cyathiflora (Fenzl) J.W. Green (Gyrostemonaceae) seeds. Heat (70°C for 1 h) and smoke water was one of the most effective treatments for germinating Actinotus leucocephalus and Codonocarpus cotinifolius (Desf.) F. Muell. (Gyrostemonaceae) seeds. Germination of Grevillea scapigera, Codonocarpus cotinifolius, Gyrostemon racemiger H. Walter (Gyrostemonaceae) and Tersonia cyathiflora did not exceed 40% and may require other treatments to overcome dormancy. Although the nine fire ephemerals examined require fire to germinate under natural conditions, a range of germination responses and dormancy types was observed.

Tetratheca juncea Smith is an endemic and vulnerable shrub species with apparently poor recruitment from New South Wales, Australia. Lack of understanding of seed biology limits management options for promoting survival of existing populations and recruitment of new populations. This study investigated the soil seed bank, seed viability, germination and seed dormancy. The plants release seeds in January but no seeds germinated from soil collected near the plants in September 1999, irrespective of the soil being treated by smoke, heat or fire. When sampled again in February 2001, seeds were present in the soil seed bank but were not viable. Viability testing of seeds collected from the plants determined that at least a third of the seeds being produced were viable, even after storage for 6 months. Seed germination and dormancy investigations found that the seeds germinated following exposure to smoke or scarification of the seed coat. Untreated seeds did not germinate during the preliminary study, although a proportion of untreated seeds germinated from a later seed lot. Fire management is important for promoting the survival of this species and the soil seed bank cannot be relied on for re-establishment of populations as the longevity of the soil seed bank seems to be short. Many other species of Tetratheca are also rare or threatened and this study suggests that hand-collected seeds treated with fire-related stimuli may be important for re-establishing those species and that the soil seed bank requires assessment before being relied on as a source of propagules or for maintaining a population.

The two most common options for post-mining land uses in the southern Appalachians are hayland/pasture or forestry. Hayland/pasture has become the predominant reclamation type due to strict regulation standards requiring quick and dense erosion control by herbaceous cover. Recently, more landowners have become interested in returning mined land to an economically valuable post-mining land use. Current research has provided the biological and technical information needed to reclaim mine lands to productive forest stands and achieve bond release. Cost information though has been lacking or variable at best. The purpose of this study was to understand the processes of reclamation for both forestry and hayland/pasture, and calculate detailed cost estimates for both reclamation types. Total costs of reclamation were determined using a costengineering method in conjunction with Office of Surface Mining Regulation and Enforcement bond-calculation worksheets. In all states analyzed, pasture reclamation was more costly on a per acre basis. In Ohio, reclamation costs differed by only $50 per acre between pasture and forestry reclamation. On the high end, reclamation costs differed by nearly $500 per acre for pasture versus forestry in West Virginia. Grading costs have the greatest impact on the difference between forestry and pasture reclamation. Forestry reclamation should involve only grading the site with one dozer pass to prevent compaction of minesoils which inhibits tree growth. Pasture reclamation requires more grading passes to prepare the seedbed, requiring four passes. Herbaceous seeding costs were higher for pasture reclamation due to higher application rates, but differences were not as substantial as the cost of grading. Fertilizer and lime costs were not substantively different between forestry and pasture reclamation. These cost estimates provide useful tools for mine operators and landowners to determine the most economical and suitable post-mining land use for their individual property.