| Abstract: | Establishment of native riparian communities through natural seedfall may be a viable reclamation alternative at some alluvial sand and gravel mines where water level can be controlled in the abandoned pit. We experimented with this approach at a pit in Fort Collins, Colorado, where a drain culvert equipped with a screw gate allows water levels to be manipulated. From 1994 to 1996 we conducted a series of annual drawdowns during the period of natural seedfall of Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera (plains cottonwood), Salix amygdaloides (peachleaf willow), and S. exigua (sand-bar willow), thus providing the bare, moist substrate conducive to establishment of these species. Establishment was highly variable from year to year; in the fall following establishment, frequency of occurrence on 0.5-m2 sample plots ranged from 8.6% to 50.6% for cottonwood, 15.9% to 22.0% for peachleaf willow, and 21.7% to 50.0% for sandbar willow. Mean densities, however, were comparable to those reported for other locations. Concurrent establishment of the undesirable exotic Tamarix ramosissima (saltcedar) was a problem, but we were able to eradicate most saltcedar seedlings by reflooding the lower elevations of the annual drawdown zones each fall. At the end of the 3-year period, at least one of the three native woody species survived on 41.1% of the plots, while saltcedar was present on only 6.1%. In addition to the potential for establishing valuable native habitats, adaptations of the techniques described may require less earth moving than other reclamation approaches. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70021570 |
| Citation Author: | Roelle, J. E.; Gladwin, D. N. |
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| Citation End Page: | 192 |
| Citation Issue: | 2 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Restoration Ecology |
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| Citation Number Of Pages: | 10 |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | Establishment of woody riparian species from natural seedfall at a former gravel pit; 1999; Article; Journal; Restoration Ecology; Roelle, J. E.; Gladwin, D. N. |
| Citation Start Page: | 183 |
| Citation Volume: | 7 |
| Citation Year: | 1999 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Establishment of woody riparian species from natural seedfall at a former gravel pit; 1999; Article; Journal; Restoration Ecology; Roelle, J. E.; Gladwin, D. N. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1526-100X.1999.72011.x |
| Date Other: | Fri, 1 Jan 1999 00:00 -0600 |
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