Which trees form the best soil? Reclaimed mine soil properties under 22 tree species: 50 years later—assessment of physical and chemical properties

Forest reclamations have been very commonly used on post-mining sites in central Europe and offer great opportunities for research of soil formation process. Antonín forest arboretum near Sokolov, Czech Republic, reclaimed and afforested between 1972 and 1974 was the opportunity to compare the influence of only the vegetation variable. In this research, physical and chemical soil properties from the uppermost mineral 5 cm of 23 stands (11 broadleaved and 12 coniferous) were analysed and compared. Soil pH, bulk density, porosity, water retention capacity, organic and total carbon and nitrogen content, plant available nutrients and potentially toxic elements were analysed. From the species tested, the soil properties that can generally be considered beneficial were noticed in Alnus glutinosa, Fagus sylvatica, Tilia cordata, Pyrus communis, Picea pungens and Pinus ponderosa. On the other hand, species that have not shown these soil properties were Betula pendula, Larix decidua, Picea abies, Pinus rotundata, Pinus strobus and Pinus sylvestris. It is also worth mentioning that, although some species have shown soil properties that can be considered more or less favourable from a pedological point of view, the choice of species for afforestation of post-mining sites needs to consider other factors as well, like stand health, growth potential, affinity to climatic, hydrological, and other factors, potential invasiveness, susceptibility to pathogens.

Graphical abstract