11.3’. Department of Agriculture

Forest Seruice Research Note S E -300 September 1980

COMPARISON OF FIVE WOODY SPECIES FOR RECLAMATION

OF AN UPPER COASTAL PLAIN SPOIL BANK

by J. W. McMinn,’ R. R. Roth,2

C. R. Berry,’ and W. H. McNab’

,ULTTRACT.--Third-year survival and height are compared for autumn olive. European black alder, flowering crab apple, sawtooth

oak, and Virginia pine on a sandy clay loam spoil bank in South Carolina. Flowering crab apple and sawtooth oak exhibited the best

survival, while autumn olive and European black alder had greater height growth. Only European black alder failed to become

adequately established. Autumn olive and sawtooth oak were judged most successful under the conditions of the study. Fruit was set

by autumn olive saplings during the second growing season.

Keywords: Alnus ghtinosu, Eheognus umhehfa, MolusJloribundo. Pinus oirginiona, Quercus accutissima.

The National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) requires reclamation of drastically disturbed sites. Road and dam construction, surface

mining, and landfill operations have resulted in

the creation of large disturbed sites throughout

the Southeast. Site characteristics and reclamation requirements vary with soil, time between

disturbance and reclamation, and type, degree,

and depth of disturbance. While current policy is

generally to reclaim sites immediately after disturbance, a backlog of pre-NEPA sites exists. The

objective of this research was to evaluate and

compare the performance of five woody species

planted on a 20-year-old spoil bank in the Upper

Coastal Plain of South Carolina.

METHODS

The study area is located at the Savannah

River Plant in Bamwell County, South Carolina,

on land administered by the U.S. Department of

Energy. Vaucluse and Blaney soil series predominate. The spoil bank was formed during excavation of a large, 25footdeep water-retention

‘J. W. McMinn. Research Forester. C. R. Berry, Piano

Pathologist. and W. H. McNab. Research Forester. Forestry

Sciences Laboratory. Athens, Georgia.

‘R. R. Roth. Wildlife Staff Biologist, Northeastern Area.

State and Private Foresu-y, Broomall. Pennsylvania.

basin. The spoil material was inverted as it was

removed and placed on the surface of the original

groundline. The resulting bank ranged in height

from approximately 4 to 12 feet and was approximately 120 feet wide. The upper stratum (including the root zone) is sandy clay loam with no

organic matter and a surface slope of IO percent.

After 20 years the bank was devoid of vegetation

except for two or three small, naturally seeded

loblolly pines (Pinus rueda L.) per acre.

The study was installed in May 1977. The

bank was first tenaced on contours at 50-foot

intervals, and disked to a depth of about 8 inches.

Fertilizer (S-8-8) and agricultural lime were broadcast at rates of 500 and 1,000 pounds per acre,

respectively, then disked into the spoil.

Seedlings (I-O) of autumn olive (Elaeognus

mrbellara Thumb.), flowering crab apple (Mu/us

jhibundu Sieb.), European black alder (Alms

glu~inosa (L.) Gaertn.), sawtooth oak (QuercuS

accuti.rsima Carruthers), and Virginia pine (P.

virginiana Mill.) were hand planted immediately

after site preparation in a completely randomized

experimental design with six replications. Each

experimental unit was a square plot of 49 seedlings planted at 7-foot spacings in both directions.

Seedlings were watered at planting and I week

afterward. No other cultural treatments were ap

plied. Survival and height data were collected in

September 197%.three growing seasons after

planting.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Analysis of variance showed significant differences (P = 0.01) in both survival and height of

the five species. Duncan’s multiple range test3

showed significant differences (P = 0.05) in survival among three distinct groupings (table l),

with highest survival for fiowering crab apple and

sawtooth oak and lowest for European black

alder.

Differences in height growth were less

marked than for survival (table 1). Differences

among flowering crab apple, sawtooth oak, and

Virginia pine were not statistically significant, but

autumn olive was significantly taller than all three

of these species and European black alder was

significantly taller than flowering crab apple. On

the average, autumn olive was twice as tall as

flowering crab apple.

Of the five species, only European black

alder failed because of voor survival despite its

good growth rate. Survival of all other species

averaged at least 70 percent. Although flowering

crab had the least height growth, it attained a

?3eel, Robert G. D., and James H. Tonic. 1960. Principies and procedures of statistics. 481 p. McGraw-Hill, New

York.

marginally acceptable average size after 3 years in

the field. Some of the variation in survival among

species may have resulted from the late planting

when hot, dry conditions prevailed. The recommended time for planting is winter, before dormancy is broken. For alil species except European

black alder, results indicate a tolerance for

adverse conditions frequently encountered on

reclamation sites. However, additional trials with

European black alder, planted during the winter

months, are warranted before this species is considered unsuitable for reclamation purposes.

Considering both survival and height,

autumn olive and sawtooth oak show promise as

species for reclamation under conditions similar

to those of this study. Although autumn olive had

only 70 percent survival, it outgrew all other

species. This species also produces fruit for wildlife, beginning in the second growing season after

planting. Sawtooth oak exhibited midrange

growth and very good survival: it too would

eventually produce fruit and cover for a variety of

wildlife.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This research was conducted in cooperation

with the Savannah River Forest Station, Region

8, USDA Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of Energy, Aiken, South Carolina.

Table 1.Curvival and height of five species after three growing seasons on a sandy clay loam

spoil bank

Species

Range

Survival Height

Mean (mean)

Autumn olive

European black alder

Flowering crab apple

Sawtooth oak

Virginia pine

. . . . .__...... Percent . . . ._..... Inches

S9- 82 ‘70b 83a

8- 55 29c 68ab

84- 92 90a 42c

71-100 92a 59bc

43- 92 71b 48bc

‘Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 0.05 level.