In the two decades following passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA, 1977), surface mines generally were reclaimed to grassland habitat or were planted with black locust (Robinia pseudo-acacia), Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana), eastern white pine (P. strobes), and autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellate). In traditional post-SMCRA reclamation, unweathered materials contribute heavily to the growth medium, mine soils are severely compacted from immoderate grading, and aggressive groundcovers are seeded to prevent soil erosion. Although locust and pine are adapted for growth in this environment, most native hardwoods have poor survival and growth, thus tree species diversity that is characteristic of native deciduous forests is typically absent. Recently, the Appalachian Reforestation Initiative has promoted use of reclamation techniques that enhance survival and growth of native hardwood trees. Surface mines reclaimed to hardwood forest are potentially vast sources of breeding habitat for early successional bird species, many of which are experiencing long-term declines. We initiated a study to quantify diversity, abundance, and nesting success of early successional birds on mountaintop mines reclaimed with a reduced grading approach and planted to hardwoods and pine 8-14 years ago. We examine variation in bird communities across a site gradient ranging from uncompacted minesoils planted with an array of hardwood species to compacted minesoils planted primarily to pine and locust and representative of the traditional reclamation environment. Investigation into this relationship could provide insight into the bird species assemblages that future reforestation efforts might yield. Other studies have found scrubland species to be common on some mineland habitats but it is not known if nesting success is high enough to sustain populations. Our study will address this question.
Results/Conclusions
Previous studies found that Cerulean Warblers (Dendroica cerulea) had reduced abundance and territory density in proximity to large-scale mine edges and in landscapes with reduced amounts of mature forest. Reforestation of mined land that is adjacent to forest may mitigate edge effects for forest interior songbirds through the creation of a more transitional forest-mine edge. Productive and diverse forests that have been established on reclaimed minelands may also contribute to reducing fragmentation and compensating for habitat loss within the surface mining landscape.
