An important component of decommissioning mining operations is physical stabilization through revegetation of barren tailing areas and man-made peat berms. conventional revegetation, using agricultural seed mixtures, fertilizer and lime, are effective as long as the terrain allows access of machinery. Tailings beaches and peat berms are difficult to reclaim and stabilize permanently. The reclamation process is generally very costly, sometimes requiring repeated applications.
Indigenous plant species populating either the peat bog or the tailings areas have demonstrated their ability to colonize these substrates. This paper reports on utilizing local populations of Scirpus atrocinctus, a species of sedge, for the stabilization tests of peat berms and tailings beaches. This species was found growing on polymetallic, acidic tailings at Buchans, Newfoundland. See was collected from the vicinity of mine-disturbed lands and used for the stabilization tests.
Seed collection time, storage requirements, and the specific conditions required for seed germination and seedling establishment of Scirpus atrocinctus were examined in laboratory and field experiments. High light intensities and temperatures with adequate moisture were determined to be the critical factors for breaking seed dormancy. Supplementation of seedlings with an adequate nitrogen supply in moist conditions promoted good plant growth. A simple, cost-effective technique has been developed to rapidly vegetate and stabilize peat berms. Further experiments are required to obtain better results for tailings beaches.