Afforestation as a method of reclamation of soilless land in brown coal mining in Poland

The article discusses selected methods of afforestation of soilless areas in open brown lignite mining in Poland and presents an initial assessment of their effectiveness. In the reclamation practice, three methods of afforestation were applied: „pioneer species”, „biodynamic species” and „main species”. They differ in their share in the species composition of afforestation of phytomelioration species, mainly of the alder type, and the scope of mineral fertilization, in particular nitrogen fertilization. The assessment of the effectiveness of these methods based on the results of quantitative studies of the organic carbon content and total nitrogen in the humus levels of initial soils formed in post-mining areas under afforestation. These factors can be considered the most dynamic indicators of transforming fallow lands into the soil. The rate of their transformation, in the case of forest reclamation, depends mainly on the share in the composition of afforestation of the alder.