Loblolly Pine Growth Patterns on Reclaimed Mineland: Allometry, Biomass, and Volume

Surface lignite coal mines in east Texas are commonly reforested using loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) following mining and reclamation activities. Due to the nature of such an extreme disturbance, altered growth patterns, growth rates, and productivity could be expected. We destructively sampled aboveand belowground tissue to develop prediction equations specific to these sites. These prediction equations differed statistically from those found in the literature regarding unmined land. At the stand level, biomass and volume productivity appeared similar with young stands on reclaimed mineland performing slightly poorer than similarly managed unmined sites. Allometric partitioning of aboveand belowground biomass differed statistically from the unmined allometric model previously studied. The allometric pattern on reclaimed mineland indicated greater partitioning of biomass belowground for young stands of low quadratic mean diameter relative to unmined stands. Older stands on reclaimed mineland exhibited no allometric partitioning differences from unmined stands, indicating the normal allometric pattern is resumed for stands greater than 10 years of age.