Establishment of Vegetation on Coal Tips and other Spoil Mounds

Abstract

SPOIL mounds of varying type and composition are the inevitable end-product of many mining and manufacturing operations. Anyone familiar with the Black Country of England or the mining areas of South Wales, to cite two important examples, Well knows how the countryside can be disfigured by these tips. Under natural conditions considerable time may elapse before even a coarse grass or scrub vegetation becomes established on such material, and then the result is of little æsthetic or economic value. While in the past a certain amount of work has been undertaken locally in reclaiming tips of various kinds, usually through afforestation, such programmes have been limited in scope and difficult to maintain. It is only recently that there has been any widespread interest regarding the vegetation of spoil mounds by artificial means, with or without preliminary levelling, in order to improve the landscape, amenities and living conditions in the districts concerned. It is the purpose of this short article to indicate how knowledge on the ecology of pioneer vegetation, both forest and grassland, can be applied to this particular problem, and to suggest methods of establishing a vegetation cover on what may appear to be a not particularly promising medium.