Determination of suitable plant species for reclamation at an abandoned coal mine area

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine suitable plant species for reclamation of an abandoned coal mine area at Ovacik village within the borders of Yaprakli town in the province of Cankiri, Turkey. The paper comprises three basic parts: (i) sampling and analyses of several chemical–physical properties of the soil; (ii) sampling and identification of the natural plant species; and (iii) determination of topographic features of the study area by spatial analysis tools. Soil samples were taken from 0 to 30 cm depth at 15 sampling sites. Soil textural separates (percent sand, silt and clay), calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), soil pH, electrical conductivity and soil organic matter (SOM) were measured. Soil properties, especially SOM content, pH and textural separates, exhibited significant variations at the sampling site. SOM content was considerably high and pH was low in the coal storage area. The plant composition of the study area was studied based on the plants collected during the period of vegetation from 2010 to 2011. The collected plants were suitably transformed to herbarium materials and identified according to modern systematic techniques. A total of 54 taxa belonging to 23 families were determined in the study area. The average slope of the study area is approximately 24% and the dominant aspect is south-east. By considering all features of the study area, a total of 28 taxa, excluding natural plant species identified on the site, were suggested for reclamation.

Keywords:

• coal mining
• landscape degradation
• natural plant species
• soil contamination
• mine reclamation

Acknowledgements

A part of this study was financially supported by the Middle East Technical University Research Fund (project number: BAP-07.02.2009.07). The authors would also like to express their gratitude to Prof. Dr Mecit VURAL from the Department of Botany at Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey, for his contributions in the identification of natural plant species in the study area.