Abstract. Surface coal mine disturbances affect vegetation, soil chemical/physical properties, bedrock, and landforms. The scope of this article focuses on lands to be reclaimed back to rangelands (post-mine land use) similar to the pre-mine ecosystem in terms of plant composition/diversity, structure, and ecosystem function. Reclamation programs that solely emphasize plant community composition and structure rather than effectively repairing disturbed or altered ecological processes ignores the foundation upon which the sustainability of reconstructed plant communities depends. Reclamation success may be improved by addressing primary ecological processes driving ecosystem function as part of the reclamation process. Altered primary processes require repair of the physical system in conjunction with adding seeds or plants. Land-form design strategies, which are designed to capture, store, and release water effectively into reconstructed watersheds is the foundation of successfully reclaimed ecosystems. Because plant functional groups can differ in their spatial and temporal acquisition of resources, improving functional diversity may be a method to more fully utilize soil nutrients in reclaimed soils and improve resilience to weed invasion. Strategically combining species with different seed/seedling traits in seed mixtures can increase chances of achieving adequate plant establishment during revegetation. Monitoring program design should be an integral part of the reclamation planning process, and indicators reflecting landscape-scale processes can be adapted to monitor reclamation project success. Effective reclamation plans are process-oriented, seek to initiate self-repair, and address landscape interactions. The probability of achieving successful reclamation is enhanced by pursuing a broader goal of improving ecosystem vigor, organization and resilience utilizing novel assemblages of species that perform desired functions and produce a range of ecosystem goods and services. Reclaiming mined land requires realistic objectives that consider the ecological potential of the site, land-use goals, and socioeconomic constraints.
{"title":"DEVELOPING DIVERSE, EFFECTIVE, AND PERMANENT PLANT COMMUNITIES ON RECLAIMED SURFACE COAL MINES: RESTORING ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION","authors":"E. Vasquez, R. Sheley","doi":"10.21000/JASMR18010077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR18010077","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Surface coal mine disturbances affect vegetation, soil chemical/physical properties, bedrock, and landforms. The scope of this article focuses on lands to be reclaimed back to rangelands (post-mine land use) similar to the pre-mine ecosystem in terms of plant composition/diversity, structure, and ecosystem function. Reclamation programs that solely emphasize plant community composition and structure rather than effectively repairing disturbed or altered ecological processes ignores the foundation upon which the sustainability of reconstructed plant communities depends. Reclamation success may be improved by addressing primary ecological processes driving ecosystem function as part of the reclamation process. Altered primary processes require repair of the physical system in conjunction with adding seeds or plants. Land-form design strategies, which are designed to capture, store, and release water effectively into reconstructed watersheds is the foundation of successfully reclaimed ecosystems. Because plant functional groups can differ in their spatial and temporal acquisition of resources, improving functional diversity may be a method to more fully utilize soil nutrients in reclaimed soils and improve resilience to weed invasion. Strategically combining species with different seed/seedling traits in seed mixtures can increase chances of achieving adequate plant establishment during revegetation. Monitoring program design should be an integral part of the reclamation planning process, and indicators reflecting landscape-scale processes can be adapted to monitor reclamation project success. Effective reclamation plans are process-oriented, seek to initiate self-repair, and address landscape interactions. The probability of achieving successful reclamation is enhanced by pursuing a broader goal of improving ecosystem vigor, organization and resilience utilizing novel assemblages of species that perform desired functions and produce a range of ecosystem goods and services. Reclaiming mined land requires realistic objectives that consider the ecological potential of the site, land-use goals, and socioeconomic constraints.","PeriodicalId":17230,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81762427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Pietrzykowski, B. Woś, M. Chodak, Katarzyna Sroka, M. Pająk, T. Wanic, W. Krzaklewski
{"title":"EFFECTS OF ALDERS (ALNUS SP.) USED FOR RECLAMATION OF LIGNITE COMBUSTION WASTES","authors":"M. Pietrzykowski, B. Woś, M. Chodak, Katarzyna Sroka, M. Pająk, T. Wanic, W. Krzaklewski","doi":"10.21000/JASMR18010030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR18010030","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17230,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation","volume":"122 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85325673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. Sulfate and metals are commonly found in mining influenced water (MIW). A biochemical reactor (BCR) is an established technology that can remove sulfate and metals. Three organic mixtures were bench-tested for approximately six months to decrease sulfate concentration in a circum-neutral pH MIW containing low metal concentrations. Organic materials included wood pellets, oat straw, biochar, and manure as an inoculum. These were blended with limestonedolomite sand. Additionally, sulfide polishing units (SPUs), which were charged with native soil from the site, zero valent iron (ZVI), or magnetite, were evaluated for removal of dissolved sulfide discharged from each of the BCRs. Median MIW influent contained about 3000 mg/L of sulfate and very low concentrations of metals. The flow rates varied from 144 to 1,231 mL/day. Among all the BCRs tested, the hydraulic retention times varied from 5 to 75 days. All BCRs demonstrated similar removal rates of about 1.3 (BCR 1), 1.4 (BCR 2), and 1.6 (BCR 3) mol SO4 /m-day during the last week of testing. While the SPUs removed dissolved sulfide from the BCR effluents as expected, they removed sulfate as well. Dissolved organic carbon in the BCR effluents promoted sulfatereducing microbial activity in the SPUs where the inorganic materials functioned as a solid support for the microbial community. The magnetite was not an effective medium for post-BCR sulfate removal. Sulfate removal efficiencies in the BCRs were 55% (BCR 1), 57% (BCR 2), and 67% (BCR 3) during the final week of the bench-scale testing. Sulfate removal in the SPUs (from the BCRs effluents) was 35% and 37%, for SPU 1 and SPU 2, respectively. Novel reactor charging configurations in single units may therefore be much more effective and efficient than approaches exclusively using lignocellulosic or inert supports. Sulfate reducing microbial populations were still increasing when the test was concluded.
{"title":"SULFATE REMOVAL IN BIOCHEMICAL REACTORS AND SCRUBBERS TREATING NEUTRAL LOW-METAL CONCENTRATION MIW","authors":"G. Fattore, J. Gusek, T. R. Clark, L. Josselyn","doi":"10.21000/JASMR17020001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17020001","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Sulfate and metals are commonly found in mining influenced water (MIW). A biochemical reactor (BCR) is an established technology that can remove sulfate and metals. Three organic mixtures were bench-tested for approximately six months to decrease sulfate concentration in a circum-neutral pH MIW containing low metal concentrations. Organic materials included wood pellets, oat straw, biochar, and manure as an inoculum. These were blended with limestonedolomite sand. Additionally, sulfide polishing units (SPUs), which were charged with native soil from the site, zero valent iron (ZVI), or magnetite, were evaluated for removal of dissolved sulfide discharged from each of the BCRs. Median MIW influent contained about 3000 mg/L of sulfate and very low concentrations of metals. The flow rates varied from 144 to 1,231 mL/day. Among all the BCRs tested, the hydraulic retention times varied from 5 to 75 days. All BCRs demonstrated similar removal rates of about 1.3 (BCR 1), 1.4 (BCR 2), and 1.6 (BCR 3) mol SO4 /m-day during the last week of testing. While the SPUs removed dissolved sulfide from the BCR effluents as expected, they removed sulfate as well. Dissolved organic carbon in the BCR effluents promoted sulfatereducing microbial activity in the SPUs where the inorganic materials functioned as a solid support for the microbial community. The magnetite was not an effective medium for post-BCR sulfate removal. Sulfate removal efficiencies in the BCRs were 55% (BCR 1), 57% (BCR 2), and 67% (BCR 3) during the final week of the bench-scale testing. Sulfate removal in the SPUs (from the BCRs effluents) was 35% and 37%, for SPU 1 and SPU 2, respectively. Novel reactor charging configurations in single units may therefore be much more effective and efficient than approaches exclusively using lignocellulosic or inert supports. Sulfate reducing microbial populations were still increasing when the test was concluded.","PeriodicalId":17230,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation","volume":"58 1","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90592921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR) has been publishing conference proceedings and journal articles on land reclamation and the protection of soil and water resources for more than three decades. Much of the technical work presented in the ASMR conferences and journals contain specific mining sites that are associated with geographic locations. However, the geographic contexts of these articles were often not made directly available to the readers. This deficiency affects the abilities of related professionals to explore the technical reclamation knowledge in terms of its geographic background. Therefore, it is critical to develop quality-assured geographic references to the papers published by ASMR. This study used Google Earth and ArcGIS software to create a series of placemarks that link past ASMR technical articles to the actual locations. These placemarks can be freely distributed and integrated into the website for web map display.
{"title":"GEOCODING LOCATIONS OF HISTORIC RECLAMATION RESEARCH SITES USING GOOGLE EARTH","authors":"Ruopu Li, Kaitlyn Holtsclaw","doi":"10.21000/JASMR17020084","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17020084","url":null,"abstract":"The American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR) has been publishing conference proceedings and journal articles on land reclamation and the protection of soil and water resources for more than three decades. Much of the technical work presented in the ASMR conferences and journals contain specific mining sites that are associated with geographic locations. However, the geographic contexts of these articles were often not made directly available to the readers. This deficiency affects the abilities of related professionals to explore the technical reclamation knowledge in terms of its geographic background. Therefore, it is critical to develop quality-assured geographic references to the papers published by ASMR. This study used Google Earth and ArcGIS software to create a series of placemarks that link past ASMR technical articles to the actual locations. These placemarks can be freely distributed and integrated into the website for web map display.","PeriodicalId":17230,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation","volume":"69 1","pages":"84-92"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77729224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
51 ADVANCEMENTS IN GEOMORPHIC MINE RECLAMATION DESIGN APPROACH, WYOMING ABANDONED MINE LAND, LIONKOL COAL MINING DISTRICT, SWEETWATER COUNTY, WYOMING Harold J. Hutson, and Robert W. Thoman Abstract: Following the successful pioneering of Natural Regrade technology for geomorphic surface mine reclamation efforts in WY in 2007, the Wyoming AML Division and their Project Engineer, BRS, Inc. of Riverton, WY, applied this surface reclamation approach to the Lionkol Project located near Rock Springs, WY, in Sweetwater County.
51地貌矿山复垦设计方法研究进展，怀俄明废弃矿区，LIONKOL煤矿区，SWEETWATER县，Harold J. Hutson, Robert W. Thoman继2007年在怀俄明州成功采用自然退化技术进行地表地貌矿山复垦之后，怀俄明州反AML部门及其项目工程师，位于怀俄明州里弗顿的BRS公司，将这种地表复垦方法应用于位于怀俄明州斯威特沃特县岩石泉附近的Lionkol项目。
{"title":"ADVANCEMENTS IN GEOMORPHIC MINE RECLAMATION DESIGN APPROACH, WYOMING ABANDONED MINE LAND, LIONKOL COAL MINING DISTRICT, SWEETWATER COUNTY, WYOMING","authors":"Harold J. Hutson, R. Thoman","doi":"10.21000/JASMR17020051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17020051","url":null,"abstract":"51 ADVANCEMENTS IN GEOMORPHIC MINE RECLAMATION DESIGN APPROACH, WYOMING ABANDONED MINE LAND, LIONKOL COAL MINING DISTRICT, SWEETWATER COUNTY, WYOMING Harold J. Hutson, and Robert W. Thoman Abstract: Following the successful pioneering of Natural Regrade technology for geomorphic surface mine reclamation efforts in WY in 2007, the Wyoming AML Division and their Project Engineer, BRS, Inc. of Riverton, WY, applied this surface reclamation approach to the Lionkol Project located near Rock Springs, WY, in Sweetwater County.","PeriodicalId":17230,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation","volume":"195 1","pages":"51-83"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77114203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L. Hopkinson, J. Lorimer, J. Stevens, H. Russell, J. Hause, J. Quaranta, P. Ziemkiewicz
Abstract. Geomorphic landform design is a reclamation technique that may offer opportunities to improve aspects of mine reclamation in Central Appalachia. The design approach is based on constructing a steady-state, mature landform condition and takes into account the long-term climatic conditions, soil types, terrain grade, and vegetation. Geomorphic reclamation has been applied successfully in semiarid regions but has not yet been applied in Central Appalachia. This work describes a demonstration study where geomorphic landforming techniques are being applied to a coarse coal refuse pile in southern West Virginia, USA. The reclamation design includes four geomorphic watersheds that radially drain runoff from the pile. Each watershed has one central draining channel and incorporates compound slope profiles similarly to naturally eroded slopes. Planar slopes were also included to maintain the impacted area. The intent is to reduce infiltration rates which will decrease water quality treatment costs at the site. The excavation cut and fill volumes balanced to approximately 250,000 yd. This volume is comparable to those of more conventional refuse pile reclamation designs. If proven successful then this technique can be part of a cost-effective solution to improve water quality at active and future refuse facilities, abandoned mine lands, bond forfeiture sites, landfills, and major earthmoving activities within the region.
{"title":"GEOMORPHIC LANDFORM DESIGN PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO AN ABANDONED COAL REFUSE PILE IN CENTRAL APPALACHIA","authors":"L. Hopkinson, J. Lorimer, J. Stevens, H. Russell, J. Hause, J. Quaranta, P. Ziemkiewicz","doi":"10.21000/JASMR17020019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17020019","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Geomorphic landform design is a reclamation technique that may offer opportunities to improve aspects of mine reclamation in Central Appalachia. The design approach is based on constructing a steady-state, mature landform condition and takes into account the long-term climatic conditions, soil types, terrain grade, and vegetation. Geomorphic reclamation has been applied successfully in semiarid regions but has not yet been applied in Central Appalachia. This work describes a demonstration study where geomorphic landforming techniques are being applied to a coarse coal refuse pile in southern West Virginia, USA. The reclamation design includes four geomorphic watersheds that radially drain runoff from the pile. Each watershed has one central draining channel and incorporates compound slope profiles similarly to naturally eroded slopes. Planar slopes were also included to maintain the impacted area. The intent is to reduce infiltration rates which will decrease water quality treatment costs at the site. The excavation cut and fill volumes balanced to approximately 250,000 yd. This volume is comparable to those of more conventional refuse pile reclamation designs. If proven successful then this technique can be part of a cost-effective solution to improve water quality at active and future refuse facilities, abandoned mine lands, bond forfeiture sites, landfills, and major earthmoving activities within the region.","PeriodicalId":17230,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation","volume":"131 1","pages":"19-36"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81533002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. Pinno, Amanda Schoonmaker, Çağdaş Kera Yücel, R. Albricht
Planting trees is an important step in re-establishing functioning forest ecosystems after industrial land disturbances. Conventional planting practices create forests with evenly spaced trees, at low density, which maximizes individual tree growing space but delays the time until crown closure, potentially for decades. In this study, the first operational cluster planting trial for reclaimed boreal forest, we examined first year tree growth and vegetation competition results of a cluster planting trial in which trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees were planted in clusters of 4, 10, or 20 trees with an internal spacing of 0.25 m along with non-clustered controls. Clustering of aspen seedlings had a measurable impact on the relative proportions of tree and competing vegetation cover with increased tree cover and decreased forb cover in the 10 and 20 seedling clusters compared to the controls. Average seedling height and first year height growth were similar across all cluster treatments but tended to be higher in the clusters, likely due to the suppression of competing vegetation. Operationally, there are still many questions to be answered before this practice can be implemented in a large scale across the landscape. However, based on our initial results, we believe that cluster planting has the potential to become a valuable tool for reclamation practitioners.
{"title":"CLUSTER PLANTING: EARLY ENHANCEMENT OF STRUCTRUAL DIVERSITY IN A RECLAIMED BOREAL FOREST","authors":"B. Pinno, Amanda Schoonmaker, Çağdaş Kera Yücel, R. Albricht","doi":"10.21000/JASMR17020037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17020037","url":null,"abstract":"Planting trees is an important step in re-establishing functioning forest ecosystems after industrial land disturbances. Conventional planting practices create forests with evenly spaced trees, at low density, which maximizes individual tree growing space but delays the time until crown closure, potentially for decades. In this study, the first operational cluster planting trial for reclaimed boreal forest, we examined first year tree growth and vegetation competition results of a cluster planting trial in which trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees were planted in clusters of 4, 10, or 20 trees with an internal spacing of 0.25 m along with non-clustered controls. Clustering of aspen seedlings had a measurable impact on the relative proportions of tree and competing vegetation cover with increased tree cover and decreased forb cover in the 10 and 20 seedling clusters compared to the controls. Average seedling height and first year height growth were similar across all cluster treatments but tended to be higher in the clusters, likely due to the suppression of competing vegetation. Operationally, there are still many questions to be answered before this practice can be implemented in a large scale across the landscape. However, based on our initial results, we believe that cluster planting has the potential to become a valuable tool for reclamation practitioners.","PeriodicalId":17230,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation","volume":"4 1","pages":"37-50"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87443391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
There have been few studies conducted on mammalian mesopredators on reclaimed mine sites. The Wilds, a 9,154-acre conservation center located in Eastern Ohio, was surface mined for coal from the 1940s-1980s and reclamation began in 1971 (History, 2015). Coyotes (Canis latrans) and bobcats (Lynx rufus) are the main mesopredators located at the Wilds and were the primary focus of this study. Camera trapping was used to assess how ecological factors impacted the habitat use and distribution of bobcats and coyotes on reclaimed mine land. Ten remote cameras were randomly deployed across the property to monitor the biological community at the Wilds from late January to early July. Statistical analyses were used to determine the impact of variable conditions on the number of bobcat and coyote observations at all camera traps. These conditions included the seasons, time period, baiting, edge versus interior habitat, mining effects, snow cover, and the level of human activity. It was determined that coyotes did not closely associate with any habitat types, while they did closely associate with several scavenging species. Bobcats were most closely associated with large prey items, such as the white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and eastern cottontail and were also closely associated with open or sparsely covered habitats. The results of Pearson’s chi-squared tests determined that photographs of bobcats during this study were captured significantly more often when the camera trap was located on an unmined site, when the trap was baited, when snow cover was present, during nocturnal periods, and during winter. This study reaffirmed the ability of remote camera traps to effectively survey elusive species that may occur at low densities such as the bobcat and the coyote. The data collected from this study has demonstrated that although the effects of mining were extensive at the Wilds, the mesopredator populations of bobcats and coyotes have returned to this recovering landscape. ______________________ 1 Paper submitted to JASMR for consideration from work done at the Wilds. 2 Katherine Driscoll is Wildlife Ecology Apprentice, the Wilds, Cumberland, OH 43732; Matt Lacey is Wildlife Ecology Intern, the Wilds, Cumberland, OH 43732. Dr. Joe Greathouse is Assistant Professor of Biology, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV 26074 DOI: http://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17010015 Journal American Society of Mining and Reclamation, 2017 Vol.6, No.1
{"title":"USE OF CAMERA TRAPPING TO DETERMINE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION, HABITAT USE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECTING MESOPREDATORS ON RECLAIMED MINE LANDS AT THE WILDS","authors":"K. Driscoll","doi":"10.21000/JASMR17010015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17010015","url":null,"abstract":"There have been few studies conducted on mammalian mesopredators on reclaimed mine sites. The Wilds, a 9,154-acre conservation center located in Eastern Ohio, was surface mined for coal from the 1940s-1980s and reclamation began in 1971 (History, 2015). Coyotes (Canis latrans) and bobcats (Lynx rufus) are the main mesopredators located at the Wilds and were the primary focus of this study. Camera trapping was used to assess how ecological factors impacted the habitat use and distribution of bobcats and coyotes on reclaimed mine land. Ten remote cameras were randomly deployed across the property to monitor the biological community at the Wilds from late January to early July. Statistical analyses were used to determine the impact of variable conditions on the number of bobcat and coyote observations at all camera traps. These conditions included the seasons, time period, baiting, edge versus interior habitat, mining effects, snow cover, and the level of human activity. It was determined that coyotes did not closely associate with any habitat types, while they did closely associate with several scavenging species. Bobcats were most closely associated with large prey items, such as the white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and eastern cottontail and were also closely associated with open or sparsely covered habitats. The results of Pearson’s chi-squared tests determined that photographs of bobcats during this study were captured significantly more often when the camera trap was located on an unmined site, when the trap was baited, when snow cover was present, during nocturnal periods, and during winter. This study reaffirmed the ability of remote camera traps to effectively survey elusive species that may occur at low densities such as the bobcat and the coyote. The data collected from this study has demonstrated that although the effects of mining were extensive at the Wilds, the mesopredator populations of bobcats and coyotes have returned to this recovering landscape. ______________________ 1 Paper submitted to JASMR for consideration from work done at the Wilds. 2 Katherine Driscoll is Wildlife Ecology Apprentice, the Wilds, Cumberland, OH 43732; Matt Lacey is Wildlife Ecology Intern, the Wilds, Cumberland, OH 43732. Dr. Joe Greathouse is Assistant Professor of Biology, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV 26074 DOI: http://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17010015 Journal American Society of Mining and Reclamation, 2017 Vol.6, No.1","PeriodicalId":17230,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation","volume":"4 1","pages":"15-33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85751150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Geo-Referenced Technical Papers and Journal Articles: A New ASMR Benefit","authors":"J. Gusek","doi":"10.21000/JASMR17010066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17010066","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17230,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation","volume":"95 1","pages":"66-73"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80415159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Evaluation of Small Tree and Shrub Plantings on Reclaimed Surface Mines in West Virginia Alexis Monteleone Hundreds of acres of mined land are reclaimed annually in West Virginia (WV) and are planted with hardwood tree species. Forestry and wildlife post-mining land uses require the planting of specific tree species designated by the individual mine permit and planting plan, which generally includes planting of commercially-valuable hardwood species. Establishment and growth of fruitand nut-producing small tree and native shrub species has not been studied for reforestation plantings on surface mines. Though these species are not generally planted as part of forestry reclamation, they are commonly found in forest ecosystems of WV and are often an important component, contributing to both structural and floral species diversity. Survival and growth of 20 species of mastand fruit-producing shrubs and small trees were evaluated to better understand their suitability for reclamation plantings. Seedlings were planted in graded overburden material during 2008 and 2010 on four reclaimed surface coal mines in WV. The selected sites were reclaimed using conventional methods. The experiment was a completely randomized block design with four blocks per site, two east-facing and two west-facing. Each block was comprised of 20 monoculture species plots, and within each plot 25 individuals were planted on 2.4 m x 2.4 m spacing. Initial data on survival and growth of these species was collected in 2008 and 2010 a growing season after establishment. Survival and growth of these species were measured again in 2015 and 2016 to determine individual species performance over time. In general, 18 of the 20 species included in this study were successful in establishing and growing on the reclaimed surface mine sites in West Virginia. The exceptions were pawpaw (Asimina triloba L.) on the sites planted in 2008 and blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) on the sites planted in 2010. The best performing species overall were black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa Michx.) at 56% survival, black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) at 55%, Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum L. f.) at 54%, nannyberry (Viburnum lentago L.) at 52%, and hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) at 50%. The two species that experienced the highest mortality were flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) at 10% and pawpaw at 9%. Across all species, Elk Run showed the highest survival percentage at 51%, Fola and ICG were between 40 and 45%, while Hobet had the lowest at 25%. Although survival and some height measurements were found to be greater on west-facing aspects when compared with east-facing aspects in this study, the results were not strongly correlated and skewed by a few species that performed particularly well on west-facing aspects at one site. The effect of aspect for the majority of species in this study and at most sites was not significant at the individual species level. Soil properties varied widel
{"title":"Evaluation of Small Tree and Shrub Plantings on Reclaimed Surface Mines in West Virginia","authors":"A. Monteleone","doi":"10.21000/JASMR17010034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17010034","url":null,"abstract":"Evaluation of Small Tree and Shrub Plantings on Reclaimed Surface Mines in West Virginia Alexis Monteleone Hundreds of acres of mined land are reclaimed annually in West Virginia (WV) and are planted with hardwood tree species. Forestry and wildlife post-mining land uses require the planting of specific tree species designated by the individual mine permit and planting plan, which generally includes planting of commercially-valuable hardwood species. Establishment and growth of fruitand nut-producing small tree and native shrub species has not been studied for reforestation plantings on surface mines. Though these species are not generally planted as part of forestry reclamation, they are commonly found in forest ecosystems of WV and are often an important component, contributing to both structural and floral species diversity. Survival and growth of 20 species of mastand fruit-producing shrubs and small trees were evaluated to better understand their suitability for reclamation plantings. Seedlings were planted in graded overburden material during 2008 and 2010 on four reclaimed surface coal mines in WV. The selected sites were reclaimed using conventional methods. The experiment was a completely randomized block design with four blocks per site, two east-facing and two west-facing. Each block was comprised of 20 monoculture species plots, and within each plot 25 individuals were planted on 2.4 m x 2.4 m spacing. Initial data on survival and growth of these species was collected in 2008 and 2010 a growing season after establishment. Survival and growth of these species were measured again in 2015 and 2016 to determine individual species performance over time. In general, 18 of the 20 species included in this study were successful in establishing and growing on the reclaimed surface mine sites in West Virginia. The exceptions were pawpaw (Asimina triloba L.) on the sites planted in 2008 and blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) on the sites planted in 2010. The best performing species overall were black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa Michx.) at 56% survival, black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) at 55%, Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum L. f.) at 54%, nannyberry (Viburnum lentago L.) at 52%, and hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) at 50%. The two species that experienced the highest mortality were flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) at 10% and pawpaw at 9%. Across all species, Elk Run showed the highest survival percentage at 51%, Fola and ICG were between 40 and 45%, while Hobet had the lowest at 25%. Although survival and some height measurements were found to be greater on west-facing aspects when compared with east-facing aspects in this study, the results were not strongly correlated and skewed by a few species that performed particularly well on west-facing aspects at one site. The effect of aspect for the majority of species in this study and at most sites was not significant at the individual species level. Soil properties varied widel","PeriodicalId":17230,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation","volume":"19 1","pages":"34-61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81422175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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