Abstract
SUMMARYGermination of gray birch (Betula populifolia) seed collected from anthracite mine spoils in northeastern Pennsylvania was studied. Environmental conditions of the spoil banks are such that high mortality may occur at seed and germination stages because of low moisture availability and thermal stress. The mine spoil banks are harsh environments with respect to key seed germination factors: percent soil moisture as low as 1.8% and soil surface temperatures reaching 59°C. In the field, gray birch typically germinated in mid‐April prior to severe environmental stress. Trends in germination success were inversely related to rising soil temperature and decreasing soil moisture availability. Although seeds were capable of survival and germination under laboratory conditions of constant temperatures in excess of 55°C, dramatic decline in germination was observed under fluctuating temperature regimes likely to be experienced in the field. No germinations occurred under fluctuating temperatures in excess of 30°C. Germinations in the field were seen to end after mid‐June when substrate temperatures exceeded 30°C.
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