Download or read book Restoration of Riparian Buffer Function in Reclaimed Surface Mine Soils in Southern Illinois written by Nathan Rahe and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Riparian buffers have been proven to reduce nutrient and sediment transport to streams in agricultural watersheds. Southern Illinois offers a unique opportunity to study functions of riparian buffers in reclaimed mine soils. In Perry County, Illinois three stream segments of Bonnie Creek, Galum Creek and Pipestone Creek were restored to their approximate original position following mining. Between 1980 and 2000, as part of the restoration, vegetative buffers of grasses and trees were planted along the streams to minimize nutrient and sediment inputs from adjacent restored agricultural land. Our research objective was to determine whether riparian soil function was being restored in the vegetated buffers by comparing multiple soil properties to the adjacent reclaimed soils in agricultural production. Four transects were established on each study site through the buffer and agricultural field. Ten one meter plots were evenly spaced along each transect in each of the land uses. In summers 2010 and 2011, water infiltration rates, bulk density, total carbon concentration, total nitrogen concentration, and C:N ratio measurements were made to assess the restoration of soil function. Soil water infiltration was significantly higher and bulk density was significantly lower in the riparian buffers compared to the adjacent agricultural fields. In the riparian buffer, roots likely helped to break up the soil adding pore space, which reduced the bulk density and increased the water infiltration rates. Soil total carbon, total nitrogen, and C:N ratio were significantly higher in the riparian buffers than the agricultural fields. The additional organic matter inputs from the roots of the riparian vegetation along with incorporation of litter from the soil macrofauna likely helped to increase the soil carbon and nitrogen levels compared to the agricultural fields. Even though the soil C:N ratio was significantly higher in the riparian buffers than the agricultural fields, more time is needed to restore the ratio to levels where nitrogen will be immobilized not mineralized in the riparian soils. Soil function in the riparian areas should continue to develop at a faster rate compared to the agricultural fields due to the impact of the perennial vegetation. Restoration of landscapes is not estimated by the return of structure alone, it also includes the re-establishment of function such as soil quality improvement, water quality improvement, and wildlife habitat restoration.
Download or read book The Effects of Herbage Removal on the Soil Restoration Process in the Reclamation of Surface Mined Spoil written by Randy Ross Mileur and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Riparian Areas written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2002-10-10 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that wetlands be protected from degradation because of their important ecological functions including maintenance of high water quality and provision of fish and wildlife habitat. However, this protection generally does not encompass riparian areasâ€"the lands bordering rivers and lakesâ€"even though they often provide the same functions as wetlands. Growing recognition of the similarities in wetland and riparian area functioning and the differences in their legal protection led the NRC in 1999 to undertake a study of riparian areas, which has culminated in Riparian Areas: Functioning and Strategies for Management. The report is intended to heighten awareness of riparian areas commensurate with their ecological and societal values. The primary conclusion is that, because riparian areas perform a disproportionate number of biological and physical functions on a unit area basis, restoration of riparian functions along America's waterbodies should be a national goal.
Download or read book Working Backwards written by Michael Patrick Back and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mine reclamation practices under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1979 often resulted in minimal natural succession due to changes in soil physical characteristics. As part of the reclamation process, industrial rollers were used to compact the soil, and grasses were seeded to stop nutrient runoff and prevent further pollution downstream. Although this brought herbaceous plants back to the sites, the resulting soil conditions made it nearly impossible to grow larger woody plants due to high soil bulk density and an inability to spread roots. To counteract this problem, new methods are designed to reverse reclamation effects on soil bulk density by soil ripping - dragging large shanks sunk one meter into the ground in a 2x2 meter grid pattern, followed by tree-planting at rip intersections. To assess the effectiveness of soil ripping at two former mines managed by Cuyahoga Valley National Park, we measured near-surface and profile soil bulk density in non-ripped areas, within rips, and at cross-rips. Additionally, we measured soil pH, C:N ratio, and plant-available nutrients. The mines we studied showed higher bulk densities of surface soil in the rips than in the non-rips, in contrast to our expectations. However, at depths between 20cm and 60cm, the bulk densities were lower in the rips than in the non-rips. This suggests that, immediately after ripping, soils were lower in bulk density, but erosion washed fine clay particles into the surface of the rips. Soil chemistry differed after ripping, but only for some of the elements we measured. These short-term results are beneficial for determining the next steps of restoration at the reclaimed surface mines. We hope this ripping process will have a lasting positive effect on survival and growth of our trees.
Download or read book Hydrologic Soil Properties of Reclaimed Mined Farmland with and Without Topsoil Restoration written by Michael Allen Becker and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1992-01-01 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aldo Leopold, father of the "land ethic," once said, "The time has come for science to busy itself with the earth itself. The first step is to reconstruct a sample of what we had to begin with." The concept he expressedâ€"restorationâ€"is defined in this comprehensive new volume that examines the prospects for repairing the damage society has done to the nation's aquatic resources: lakes, rivers and streams, and wetlands. Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems outlines a national strategy for aquatic restoration, with practical recommendations, and features case studies of aquatic restoration activities around the country. The committee examines: Key concepts and techniques used in restoration. Common factors in successful restoration efforts. Threats to the health of the nation's aquatic ecosystems. Approaches to evaluation before, during, and after a restoration project. The emerging specialties of restoration and landscape ecology.
Download or read book Stream Corridor Restoration written by and published by National Technical Info Svc. This book was released on 1998 with total page 648 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This document is a cooperative effort among fifteen Federal agencies and partners to produce a common reference on stream corridor restoration. It responds to a growing national and international interest in restoring stream corridors.
Download or read book Wetland Creation and Restoration written by Jon A. Kusler and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a preliminary evaluation of the status of the science of wetland creation and restoration in the United States. It contains a series of regional reviews. Each review summarizes wetland creation and restoration experiences in broadly defined wetland regions (e.g. Pacific coastal wetlands, wooded wetlands of the Southeast). It also includes a series of theme papers, covering a wide range of topics of general application to wetland creation and restoration (hydrology, management techniques, planning).
Download or read book Selected Water Resources Abstracts written by and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 1226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Wetlands written by Committee on Characterization of Wetlands and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1995-09-20 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Wetlands" has become a hot word in the current environmental debate. But what does it signify? In 1991, proposed changes in the legal definities of wetlands stirred controversy and focused attention on the scientific and economic aspects of their management. This volume explores how to define wetlands. The committee--whose members were drawn from academia, government, business, and the environmental community--builds a rational, scientific basis for delineating wetlands in the landscape and offers recommendations for further action. Wetlands also discusses the diverse hydrological and ecological functions of wetlands, and makes recommendations concerning so-called controversial areas such as permafrost wetlands, riparian ecosystems, irregularly flooded sites, and agricultural wetlands. It presents criteria for identifying wetlands and explores the problems of applying those criteria when there are seasonal changes in water levels. This comprehensive and practical volume will be of interest to environmental scientists and advocates, hydrologists, policymakers, regulators, faculty, researchers, and students of environmental studies.
Download or read book Ecosystems of California written by Harold Mooney and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2016-01-19 with total page 1008 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This long-anticipated reference and sourcebook for CaliforniaÕs remarkable ecological abundance provides an integrated assessment of each major ecosystem typeÑits distribution, structure, function, and management. A comprehensive synthesis of our knowledge about this biologically diverse state, Ecosystems of California covers the state from oceans to mountaintops using multiple lenses: past and present, flora and fauna, aquatic and terrestrial, natural and managed. Each chapter evaluates natural processes for a specific ecosystem, describes drivers of change, and discusses how that ecosystem may be altered in the future. This book also explores the drivers of CaliforniaÕs ecological patterns and the history of the stateÕs various ecosystems, outlining how the challenges of climate change and invasive species and opportunities for regulation and stewardship could potentially affect the stateÕs ecosystems. The text explicitly incorporates both human impacts and conservation and restoration efforts and shows how ecosystems support human well-being. Edited by two esteemed ecosystem ecologists and with overviews by leading experts on each ecosystem, this definitive work will be indispensable for natural resource management and conservation professionals as well as for undergraduate or graduate students of CaliforniaÕs environment and curious naturalists.
Download or read book Drinking Water from Forests and Grasslands written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book How Much Habitat is Enough written by Graham K. Bryan and published by Environment Canada. This book was released on 2004 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Nonpoint Source News notes written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 538 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Biological nitrogen fixation in forest ecosystems foundations and applications written by John C. Gordon and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1983-09-30 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Silvicultural systems and biological nitrogen fixation; Morphology of nitrogen fixers in forest ecosystems; Taxonomy and distribution of non-legume nitrogen-fixing systems; Isolation and culture of nitrogen-fixing organisms; Wheeler, biochemical, physiological and environmental aspects of symbiotic nitrogen fixation; Analysis of nitrogen fixation; Agricultural and horticultural systems: implications for forestry; Nitrogen fixing plants in forest plantation management; Nitrogen fixation in North American forestry: research and application; Application of biological nitrogen fixation in European silviculture; Nitrogen fixation in Southeast Asian forestry: research and practice; Biological nitrogen fixation in forestry: research and practice in Australia and New Zealand.
Download or read book Urban Stormwater Management in the United States written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-03-17 with total page 611 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended.
Download or read book Wetland Restoration Enhancement Or Creation written by and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
