Development of a Modified Forest Reclamation Approach to Establish Coniferous Forest Plantations In the Pacific Northwest.

The Forest Reclamation Approach (FRA) has been successfully used to reforest areas in the Appalachian region following surface coal mining operations, but has not been implemented in the Pacific Northwest.  The goal of this research was to determine if a modified FRA would work for coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest.  The overall objective of the project is to reestablish Douglas-fir plantations on reclaimed land that would approach productivity of the original forested lands.  Three treatments were examined, the FRA of 4 feet of piled, loose soil and spoils, the FRA with an amendment of bottom ash (FRA+Ash), and the standard reclamation approach (Control) used at the Centralia TransAlta Coal Mine in southwestern Washington State.  All plots were planted with Douglas-fir seedlings (half of each plot with bare-root and half with containerized seedlings) and seeded with biannual ryegrass and lupine.  Soils were physically and chemically compared after one year as was Douglas-fir survival and vegetative cover.  Seedling survival was highest with the FRA+Ash treatment and lowest with the control.  Soil properties were highly variable within treatments and by depth.  Soil properties and competition from extensive groundcover and elk damage may have contributed to lower seedling survival.