Vegetation development on reclaimed lands in the Coal Valley Mine of western Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Revegetated lands within the Coal Valley Mine were sampled for species composition, woody plant frequencies, and tree heights. The vegetation on 68 sampled sites was dominated by a mixture of Festuca rubra L. and Trifolium repens L. Four distinctive plant communities were present. A Lodgepole pine/Willow/Lindley's aster community represented the most advanced stage of forest development, having a multilayered structure and composed primarily of indigenous species, although only 19 years old. Deciduous shrubs and trees (<50 cm tall) occurred on 43% of the sites (mean 364 plants/ha). Salicaceae were the primary species. Total plant cover averaged >85% in all community types with plant litter covering >75% of the ground surface. There were 123 plant species found growing on the mine with 77% indigenous species, although they represented <5% of the total vegetation cover. The height of planted Pinus contorta Loudon and Picea glauca (Moench) Voss were modelled over a 24-year period. Both species had reduced height growth and significant attrition for several years after planting. On average, however, surviving trees had 8- and 14-year heights similar to local provincial reforestation standards. It is hypothesized that tree canopy closure is a key factor in facilitating the naturalization of forest understory vegetation on reclaimed lands.Key words: succession, plant community development, afforestation, perturbation.