Factors Influencing Reforestation of Surface Mined Lands in Southern Illinois

Studies of surface coal mined lands have focused primarily on older lands mined prior to the enactment of reclamation legislation. Current laws will require extensive grading, soil replacement and revegetation. In order to more effectively reforest these lands, I have evaluated sites planted to woody species during the past decade. The vegetational characteristics, as well as both avaian and small mammal populations of several reclaimed surface mined areas, differing in age and reclamation procedures, were compared. Success of planted trees ranged from 50 to 91% and survival varied with the species planted. There was no relationship between tree survival and the density of herbaceous vegetation on the sites. Sites with soil segregation had better herbaceous vegetative cover but not better tree survival. Neither diversity nor density of vertebrate populations were correlated with age of reclamation plantings, indicating that sufficient time had not passed on any of the study sites for succession to produce definitive differences. Small mammal densities were instead related to vegetational composition and percent ground cover of the study sites