Forest to Reclaimed Mine Land Use Change Leads to Altered Ecosystem Structure and Function

Abstract

The United States' use of coal results in many environmental alterations. In the Appalachian coal belt region, one widespread alteration is conversion of forest to reclaimed mineland. The goal of this study was to quantify the changes to ecosystem structure and function associated with a conversion from forest to reclaimed mine grassland by comparing a small watershed containing a 15-year-old reclaimed mine with a forested, reference watershed in western Maryland. Major differences were apparent between the two watersheds in terms of biogeochemistry. Total C, N, and P pools were all substantially lower at the mined site, mainly due to the removal of woody biomass but also, in the case of P, to reductions in soil pools. Mineral soil C, N, and P pools were 96%, 79%, and 69% of native soils, respectively. Although annual runoff from the watersheds was similar, the mined watershed exhibited taller, narrower storm peaks as a result of a higher soil bulk density and decreased infiltration rates. Stream export of N was much lower in the mined watershed due to lower net nitrification rates and nitrate concentrations in soil. However, stream export of sediment and P and summer stream temperature were much higher. Stream leaf decomposition was reduced and macroinvertebrate community structure was altered as a result of these changes to the stream environment. This land use change leads to substantial, long-term changes in ecosystem capital and function.

Mining Site Reclamation Planning Based on Land Suitability Analysis and Ecosystem Services Evaluation: A Case Study in Liaoning Province, China

“…Soil is an important factor in mining site restoration practices [67]. The productivity of the reclaimed grasslands and shrubs is often limited due to poor soil conditions [68]. In many surface mining sites, the topsoil soils are completely destroyed by mine exploitation.…”

Landscape matrix and species traits mediate responses of Neotropical resident birds to forest fragmentation in Jamaica

“…For example, surface-mining activities in bauxite areas involve large-scale removal of vegetation and topsoil and the creation of open pits of exposed earth, all of which could alter soil water retention, create dust pollution, and lead to biogeochemical and hydrologic changes (Bell and Donnelly 2006). All of these factors likely impact within-forest microclimate and structure and can alter the composition of fauna, but the degree and direction of these changes are largely unknown (Simmons et al 2008). Even after post-mining restoration, ecological communities may not fully recover to their original state Knowles 1999, 2001).…”

Differentiating mine-reclaimed grasslands from spectrally similar land cover using terrain variables and object-based machine learning classification

“…This practice alters the pre-mining landforms of the affected mountaintops and valleys, flattening the upper slopes of a landscape that was originally characterized by moderate to strong relief and steep slopes dissected by a dendritic stream network (Ehlke, Runner, and Downs 1982;Maxwell and Strager 2013). The resulting topographically altered terrain, which was generally forested before mining, is commonly reclaimed to grasslands or shrublands (Simmons et al 2008;Kazar and Warner 2013). Because this mining practice results in such characteristic topographic alteration, multitemporal terrain data may facilitate the differentiation of MTR/VF reclaimed grasslands from other spectrally similar grasslands within this landscape.…”