Revegetation of Fluvial Mine Tailing Deposits: The Use of Five Riparian Shrub Species

Davis, N. and Meiman, P. and Brummer, J. and Ippolito, J.A. (2008) Revegetation of Fluvial Mine Tailing Deposits: The Use of Five Riparian Shrub Species. pp. 135-154. High Altitude Revegetation Conference Proceedings, March 5-6, 2008, Fort Collins, Colorado.

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Abstract

Fluvial deposition of mine tailings has caused extensive damage to riparian ecosystems throughout the West. Willows are often used for revegetation of fluvial mine tailing deposits but some species accumulate toxic concentrations of metals in leaves and stems. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the value of thinleaf alder [Alnus incana (L.) Moench spp. tinuifolia (Nutt.) Breitung], water birch (Betula occidentalis Hook.), red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea L. spp. sericea), and shrubby cinquefoil [Dasiphora fruticosa (L.) Rybd.] compared to Geyer willow (Salix geyeriana Andersson) for revegetation of fluvial tailing deposits along the Upper Arkansas River. Bare root shrubs were grown in tailings amended with lime and composted biosolids. Tailings were collected from three acidic and metal contaminated deposits along the Arkansas River south of Leadville, Colorado. All shrubs survived the two month experiment. Averaged across source deposits, total biomass during the experiment increased for alder, birch, dogwood, cinquefoil, and willow by 831, 689, 579, 525, and 683%, respectively. All species concentrated Pb and Zn belowground. Dogwood assimilated little Zn (44.0 mg kg-1) into its leaves and stems, but showed signs of nutrient deficiency which could have been induced by metal stress. Alder and cinquefoil partitioned Pb aboveground, 30.3 and 26.1 mg kg-1, respectively, which is unusual, but concentrations were below toxicity thresholds for humans and animals. All species evaluated did not exhibit greater growth when compared to Geyer willow, but the other four riparian species had metal partitioning characteristics valuable for managers planning for in situ restoration of mine tailing deposits.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
NWISRL Publication Number:	1345
Subjects:	Soil
Depositing User:	Users 6 not found.
Date Deposited:	26 May 2010 01:51
Last Modified:	21 Nov 2010 22:32
Item ID:	1372
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/1372