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Use of soil transfer for reforestation on abandoned mined lands in Alaska

II. Effects of soil transfers from different successional stages on growth and mycorrhizal formation by Populus balsamifera and Alnus crispa

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Abstract

Soil transfers from an intermediate successional site and a mature forest site were applied to Populus balsamifera L. cuttings and Alnus crispa (Ait.) Pursh seedlings placed on an abandoned mined site in south central Alaska to improve plant establishment. Mycorrhizal fungi in the soil transfers from the two successional stages were hypothesized to have different effects on plant species that colonize disturbed sites at different times or on different substrates. The site consisted of coarse, dry, low-nutrient spoils and was naturally colonized by scattered P. balsamifera but not A. crispa, although seed sources for both were adjacent to the site. Physical dimensions of the transplanted seedlings and cuttings were measured at the beginning and end of each growing season. Selected plants were harvested at the end of the 2-year study and examined for mycorrhizal formation, current growth, and leaf tissue nutrient concentrations. Both plant species were taller when treated with the soil transfers from the mature forest than with soils from the intermediate site although the increase for A. crispa was greater. Physical dimensions, current growth, and nutrient concentrations were greater when A. crispa was treated with the mature soil transfer compared with the intermediate soil transfer. Mycorrhizae which infected Alnus were predominantly a brown woody type, while other types accounted for greater relative mycorrhizal infection percentage on Populus. Insufficient quantities of mycorrhizal inoculum of suitable species, as well as low moisture and low nutrient conditions, may be factors limiting A. crispa colonization on primary disturbed sites in south central Alaska.

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  1. University of Alaska Fairbanks, 533 East Fireweed Avenue, 99645, Palmer, AK, USA

    D. J. Helm & D. E. Carling

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  1. D. J. Helm
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  2. D. E. Carling
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Helm, D.J., Carling, D.E. Use of soil transfer for reforestation on abandoned mined lands in Alaska. Mycorrhiza 3, 107–114 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00208918

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