VEGETATIVE RECLAMATION OF DAMPED COAL WASTE HEAPS IN NOVOVOLYN MINING AREA

Abstract

During field studies in the Novovolyn mining area (Lviv-Volyn coal basin), recultivated and non-recultivated coal waste heaps were identified. Recultivated waste heaps were artificially afforested in the 80's of the twentieth century. Afforestation was preceded by the process of mining-engineering recultivation and reformation of waste heaps by 20-50 cm-thick-layer of soil mixtures pouring. Recultivated waste heaps are not burning. Waste heaps phytocoenoses that arose in the process of natural self-growth are the result of a complex interaction between the climatopus and the ecotope: the more favorable they are for vegetation, the more typical phytocoenoses are formed. The floral composition of formed vegetative groups highly depends on the conditions of the places of growth, primarily edaphic factors. In general, there is a less amount of species composition in phytocoenoses of damped waste heaps formed in the process of self-growth comparing with recultivated ones. The groups formed on such waste heaps are mostly single-typed and of less phytocenotic variety of the vegetation cover. However, there are present certain resistant species from the vegetative groups of damped heaps – Taraxacum officinale Webb. ex Wigg., Tussilago farfara L., Artemisia absinthium L., Artemisia vulgaris L., Arctium lappa L., Betula pendula Roth., Pinus sylvestris L., Carex pilosa Scop. Waste heaps burning increases the temperature of the substrate and promotes the development of herbaceous vegetation (Carex pilosa Scop., Daucus carota L., Artemisia absinthium L., Impatiens noli-tangere L.) even in winter.