Survival and growth of conservation shrubs and trees,with thin-cover reclamation on acid substrate,Iowa, USA

Many abandoned strip-mine sites in midwestern USA are highly acidic and require a separate layer of low-acidity cover materials for successful revegetation. Economics and logistics often constrain this reclamation to a very thin cover. Twenty-two species of shrubs and trees were tested for 6 years of survival and growth on a thin wedge of silt loess (up to 0.75m thick) emplaced over highly acid spoils, in south-central Iowa. No weed control or maintenance was provided. The performance of 21 of the species could be categorized into 3 groups: Group 1-consistent survival (10 species); Group 2-irregular survival and growth (6 species); Group 3-little suitability for survival (5 species). Mouldy nursery stock precluded evaluation of 1 species. For most species, the most favourable survival and growth was not on the thickest loess cover (0.75 meters) because weeds became too well established. In general, the shrubs survived severe weed competition in dwarfed form until they could break through the weed canopy. But the tree species had to penetrate the weed canopy within their first few years of growth or perish. There is evidence that if weed competition were reduced or eliminated, the species in Group 2 would probably have survival and growth equivalent to those in Group 1. The use of “tubelings” for establishing shrubs and trees on thincover reclamation sites is suggested.