English

Abstract

Interactions between herbaceous groundcover and tree species planted on steep slopes of coal mine sites can be complex. Planted groundcovers can compete strongly for resources, hindering the growth of tree seedlings. Northern red oak, shagbark hickory, black cherry, and American chestnut were planted within four different groundcover treatments (alfalfa, switchgrass, goldenrod, and bare ground) on three different reclaimed sites in eastern Tennessee. Transpiration and growth of tree seedlings and soil moisture measurements were taken to document and explain tree performance, and to investigate the degree of competition between the different groundcover and tree species. Tree seedling growth performance did not differ between groundcover treatments during the first growing season. Additional first-year results suggest that slope position had a significant effect on transpiration of shagbark hickory in July (p=0.0036) and on transpiration in American chestnut seedlings in September (p<0.0001). Soil moisture at 15 cm below the surface had a weak linear relationship with July transpiration in black cherry (p=0.0385). It was also found that shagbark hickory height growth (p=0.0207), northern red oak height growth (p=0.0081), and northern red oak root collar diameter growth (p=0.0105) had linear relationships with September transpiration measurements.