Establishing Pine Monocultures and Mixed Pine-Hardwood Stands on Reclaimed Surface Mined Land in Eastern Kentucky: Implications for Forest Resilience in a Changing Climate

Abstract

Surface mining and mine reclamation practices have caused significant forest loss and forest fragmentation in Appalachia. Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) is threatened by a variety of stresses, including diseases, pests, poor management, altered fire regimes, and climate change, and the species is the subject of a widescale restoration effort. Surface mines may present opportunity for shortleaf pine restoration; however, the survival and growth of shortleaf pine on these harsh sites has not been critically evaluated. This paper presents first-year survival and growth of native shortleaf pine planted on a reclaimed surface mine, compared to non-native loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), which has been highly successful in previous mined land reclamation plantings. Pine monoculture plots are also compared to pine-hardwood polyculture plots to evaluate effects of planting mix on tree growth and survival, as well as soil health. Initial survival of shortleaf pine is low (42%), but height growth is similar to that of loblolly pine. No differences in survival or growth were observed between monoculture and polyculture treatments. Additional surveys in coming years will address longer-term growth and survival patterns of these species, as well as changes to relevant soil health endpoints, such as soil carbon.

First-Year Vitality of Reforestation Plantings in Response to Herbivore Exclusion on Reclaimed Appalachian Surface-Mined Land

“…Black locust typically sustains moderate to high survival (53-100%) on mined sites in the first three to five years after planting [28,39], attributing to its favorability for mine reforestation. White oak survival in this study (68.2-80.5%) was also similar to that found by Emerson et al (2009) [39] when planted within weathered gray and unweathered brown sandstone mine spoils (70-80%) and by Bell et al (2017) [40] when planted in a mixed pine-hardwoods polyculture (50-80%). Shortleaf pine survivals observed in this study were at the lower extent of shortleaf pine survivals found by Bell et al (2017; 29-58%) [40].…”

“…Mean tree heights three years post-planting reported by Showalter et al (2007) [55] in response to spoil type in Virginia appear to indicate growth rates similar to those in this study. Mean shortleaf pine heights reported by Bell et al (2017;10.5 cm) [40] were comparable to mean heights in this study. Similar first-year growth rates for shortleaf pine were also found by Kabrick et al (2015) [56] for underplanted pines in the Missouri Ozark Highlands, indicating that shortleaf pine growth on reclaimed surface mines may approximate that of one-year-old pines regenerating under a closed-canopy forest.…”

“…Mean white oak growth in this study (8.6 cm) was somewhat higher than that of white oaks planted in pine-hardwood polyculture in eastern KY (5.6 cm); height growth of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and chestnut oak (Quercus montana Willd.) was also lower than that of white oak found in the present study [40]. Mean tree heights three years post-planting reported by Showalter et al (2007) [55] in response to spoil type in Virginia appear to indicate growth rates similar to those in this study.…”

“…Likewise, Skousen et al (2009) [64] reported "heavy browse" of white ash (Fraxinus americana L.) on mines in West Virginia. Negative height growth of chestnut oak and northern red oak was attributed by Bell et al (2017) [40] to deer and elk browse; however, American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) was relatively undamaged (<3%) in the second growing-season on mined land in eastern Kentucky [28]. Additionally, pines seem to be less preferred by herbivores compared with hardwoods.…”

Seedling Production and the Field Performance of Seedlings

“…In this issue, the first-year results from two experiments conducted in the reclaimed Appalachian surface mines are presented. Bell et al [17] compared the survival and growth of native shortleaf pine to those of non-native loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). Hackworth et al [18] studied herbivore damage in different tree species and how it could be reduced.…”