Matching Tree Species to Site Conditions in Phosphate Clay Settling Areas

1. Matching Tree Species to Site Conditionsin Phosphate Clay Settling Areas Betty Rushton, Ph.D. and Mary Paulic This presentation is the result of a five year study. Mary Paulic kept the project going for an additional two years and some of the results presented here are from her publications. This presentation is the result of a five year study. Mary Paulic kept the project going for an additional two years and some of the results presented here are from her publications.

2. The Mined Landscape

3. FLORIDA SWAMP FORESTARRANGED BY INCREASING WATER AND NUTRIENT FLOWSBAYHEADS? CYPRESS DOMES? CYPRESS STRANDS? FLOODPLAIN FORESTS BAYHEADS=BAY TREES CYPRESS DOMES=POND CYPRESS, SWAMP BLACKGUM CYPRESS STRANDS=BALD CYPRESS, WATER TUPELO FLOODPLAIN FOREST, MIXED SWAMPS (CENTRAL FLORIDA) FLORIDA ELM, WATER HICKORY, BALD CYPRESS, OAK FLOODPLAIN FOREST, MIXED SWAMPS (NORTH FLORIDA) RIVER BIRCH, BITTERNUT HICKORY, CHESTNUT OAK BALD CYPRESS

4. EXPERIMENT #1TO DETERMINE SUCESSIONAL SEQUENCE AND DOCUMENT COMMUNITY STRUCTUREMEASURED VEGETATION & CALCULTED IMPORTANCE VALUES FOR 5-15 QUADRATS IN INDIVIDUAL CLAY SETTLING AREA NESTED QUADRATS ACROSS SIX 10-20 YEAR OLD SITES NESTED QUADRATS ACROSS SIX 25-35 YEAR OLD SITES

5. Typical 25 to 35 year old clay settling area BETTY_R: We would plot a compass course across the clay settling area and take measurements every 100 to 200 meters depending on the size of the area. We did not measure vegetation on the spoil piles seen here in the near foreground with the trees BETTY_R: We would plot a compass course across the clay settling area and take measurements every 100 to 200 meters depending on the size of the area. We did not measure vegetation on the spoil piles seen here in the near foreground with the trees

6. WILLOWS IN YOUNGER SITES 10 TO 20 YEARS SINCE DECOMISSIONED

7. OLDER WILLOW SITE � NOTE FALLEN TREES AND RESPROUTS

8. Drier Site � covered in vines

9. Wet Site covered in cattails

10. VEGETATION ANALYSISDivided into Moisture Classes*  40 quadrats in 10 to 20 year old sites 60 quadrats in 25 to 35 year old sites *Fish and Wildlife National Wetland Inventory List

11. A few sites had some pretty nice trees when a seed source was nearby 35 year old clay pond at Alderman Ford Ranch

12. Trees Organized by Seed Availability

13. Wetland Forest in Florida Compared to Trees Colonizing Clay PondsTrees also found in clay settling ponds* Bay Swamps sweet bay swamp bay loblolly bay Mixed Swamps cabbage palm pop ash Florida elm* Bald cypress water hickory water locus black tupelo Cypress Domes pond cypress black gum Habitat Generalists water oak* sweetgum* live oak hackberry* laurel cherry* laurel oak* red maple*

14. Energy Diagram � H. T. Odum Style

15. EXPERIMENT #2 BREAKING ARRESTED SUCCESSION BY PLANTING SEEDLINGS IN CLAY PONDS Compare three floodplain species Compare pond vs bald cypress Compare bare root vs tubelings Compare different reclamation methods

16. FLOODPLAIN SPECIES � GREEN ASH, BALD CYPRESS AND SWAMP TUPELO

17. MEASURING TREE SEEDLINGS GREEN ASH (LEFT) BALD CYPRESS (RIGHT)

18. COMPARISON OF FLOODPLAIN BAREROOT SPECIES SURVIVAL (%)AFTER TWO YEARS

19. BAREROOT VS TUBELINGS SUVIVAL (%) � BALD CYPRESSAFTER TWO YEARS

20. POND VS BALD CYPRESS TUBELING SURVIVAL (%)AFTER TWO YEARS

21. Reclamation Types � sand cap and sand/clay mix compared to unaltered clay areas

22. SURVIVAL (%) RECLAIMATION ALTERNATIVES

23. TREE HEIGHT (CM) RECLAIMATION ALTERNATIVES

24. EXPERIMENT #3 TUBELINGS OF 12 SPECIES PLANTED IN SIX CLAY SETTLING AREAS

25. Planting 12 tree species into 6 clay settling areas to test survival & growths

26. Mixed swamp species and habitat generalists had the best survival(Measured after two years) Pop ash mix swamp 99% Florida elm mix swamp 88% Red maple generalist 71% Bald cypress mix swamp 65% Magnolia mix swamp 41% Sweet gum generalist 39% Laurel oak generalist 35%

27. Species typical of cypress domes and bayheads had the poorest survival (Measured after two years) Swamp bay bay swamp 27% Black gum cypress dome 25% Cabbage palm mix swamp 23% Pond cypress cypress dome 19% Loblolly bay bay swamp 14%

28. EXPERIMENT #4 WE TESTED THE THEORY THAT SPECIES TYPICAL OF NORTHERN FLORIDA FLOODPLAINS WITH CLAY SOILS WOULD SURVIVE BETTER THAN MIXED SWAMP SPECIES TYPICAL OF BOTH AREAS Planted 5 swamp species typical of both areas And Planted 5 species typical of north Florida

29. SURVIVAL (%) OF NORTHERN SPECIES TYPICAL OF RIVER FLOODPLAINS (STD.DEV) Measured after one year Overcup oak 93.0 (3.3) % Chestnut oak 84.1 (18.4) % River birch 78.4 (23.5) % Bitternut hickory 56.9 (23.5) % Tulip poplar 35.0 (23.5) %

30. SURVIVAL (%) OF GENERALIST SPECIES TYPICAL OF RIVER FLOODPLAINS (STD.DEV) Measured after one year Sweetgum 81.3 (6.1) % Water hickory 70.4 (13.1) % Florida elm 68.4 (18.5) % Laurel oak 53.9 (23.3) % Cherry laurel 48.4 (25.9) %

31. FACTORS CONTROLLING FOREST RECLAMATION SUCCESS ON CLAY SETTLING AREAS FIRE DETRIMENTAL - - - GRAZING DETRIMENTAL - - MULCH NEUTRAL 000 CLEARING SITE NEUTRAL 000 NURSE CROP MAYBE 0/+ SEEDLING SIZE SOME SPECIES +/0 FERTILIZER POSITIVE + SOIL STRUCTURE IMPORTANT ++ SPECIES SIGNIFICANT +++ WATER TABLE CONTROLLING ++++

32. CONCLUSION 1 CLAY AREAS ARE DRYING OUT OVER TIME AND MAY NOT CONTINUE TO BE SUITABLE FOR WETLAND SPECIES

33. CONCLUSION 2 THE WETLAND SPECIES MOST SUITABLE FOR CLAY AREAS ARE THE ONES THAT USUALLY GROW ON FLOODPLAINS WITH A RELIABLE WATER SOURCE SUCH AS RIVERS OR STREAMS, NOT HEADWATER LOW NUTRIENT ISOLATED WETLANDS

34. CONCLUSION 3 THE WETLANDS ESTABLISHED ON CLAY AREAS ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE THE SAME TYPE DESTROYED BY MINING, ESPECIALLY SPECIES TYPICAL OF ISOLATED WETLANDS AND SLOW MOVING SLOUGHS

35. CONCLUSION 4 TREES GREW MUCH BETTER ON A SITE USING THE SAND/CLAY MIX RECLAMATION TECHNIQUE THIS RESULT IS CONSISTENT WITH RESULTS NEAR RIVER DELTAS WHERE HEAVY CLAY SOILS RETARD TREE GROWTH

36. CONCLUSION 5 TREE SPECIES ADAPTED TO HEAVY CLAY SOILS SUCH AS THOSE FOUND ALONG THE APPALACHICOLA RIVER FLOODPLAIN MAY BE MORE SUITABLE THAN CENTRAL FLORIDA SPECIES ADAPTED TO SANDY SOILS.

37. CONCLUSION 6 SOME FORM OF RECLAMATION THAT IMPROVES DRAINAGE AND SOIL STRUCTURE SHOULD BE REQUIRED FOR CLAY AREAS OR THEY WILL BECOME WILLOW AND CATTAIL MOSQUITO BREEDING HABITATS CONTINUING IN ARRESTED SUCCESSION FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS

38. CONCLUSION 7 CLAY AREAS ARE PROBABLY NOT SUITABLE AS PERMANENT WETLAND MITIGATION SITES, BUT AT LEAST PART OF CLAY AREAS SHOULD BE PLANTED IN TREES TO ACT AS A SEED SOURCE AND HELP IMPROVE SOILS FOREST TREES AMELIORATE POOR SOIL STRUCTURE OVER TIME

39. THE END IF NOTHING IS DONE

40.  TREE SPECIES LIST Acer rubrum � red maple Betula nigra � river birch Carya aquatica � Water hickory Carya glabra � bitternut hickory Celtis laevigata � hackberry Fraxinus caroliniana � pop ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica � green ash Gleditsia aquatica � water locus Gordonia lasianthus � loblolly bay Liquidambar styraciflua � sweetgum Liriodendron tulipifera � tulip poplar Magnolia virginiana � sweet bay Magnolia grandiflora � magnolia Nyssa aquatica � Water tupelo Nyssa sylvatica biflora � black gum Persea palustris � swamp bay Prunus caroliniana � cherry laurel Quercus lyrata � overcup oak Quercus laurifolia � laurel oak Quercus michauxii � swamp chestnut oak Sabal palmetto � cabbage palm Salix caroliniana � willow Taxodium ascendens � pond cypress Taxodium distichum � baldcypress Ulmus american var floridana � Florida elm