Eduardo ArellanoPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Eduardo Arellano is an associate professor of soils and restoration ecology at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) in Santiago, Chile. He received his M.Sc. at Oregon State University and his Ph.D. in Forest Biology at Virginia Tech, USA. His research is focus on land reclamation of highly disturbed systems in dry lands in Central Chile and Patagonia. He currently leads the Restoration and Reclamation Laboratory at PUC where they look for plant and soil interactions; the use of organic waste for reclamation, metals in soil-plant system, and early reforestation development. Eduardo actively collaborate with soil and restoration research groups from Spain, USA, and South America and he is currently a board member of the Ibero-American and Caribbean society of restoration ecology (SIACRE).
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Abstract
Adapting the forest reclamation approach for extreme environments: Challenges and opportunities for surface mining in Chilean Patagonia
In Chile, new regulations enforce the development of more specific mine closure plans. However, reclamation practitioners face a big challenge due to the large variability of mine operations and ecosystems across the country and the lack of local knowledge. In SW Patagonia, the landscape is dominanted by a mix of Nothofagus forest patches and large extentions of meadows that were established by european settlers following large forest fires. The reclamation success is limited by site conditions and poor reclamation practices. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a method developed in the Appalachian Region (USA) for reclaiming coal-mined land to forest. Specifically, the FRA recommendations include: (1) the development of suitable rooting medium for good tree growth; (2) to loosely grade the topsoil to create non-compacted growth medium; (3) the use of ground covers compatible with trees; (4) to plant different type of trees and, (5) to use the proper planting techniques. The objective of this work is to present the adaptation of the FRA model that a local coal mining have been implementing for Nothofagus forest since 2011 at Riesco Island in southern Chilean Patagonia. Specifically, Eduardo will be presenting the different reclamation challenges and the results of different studies related to soil savage and replacement, reforestation techniques and the use of local ground covers
Adapting the forest reclamation approach for extreme environments: Challenges and opportunities for surface mining in Chilean Patagonia
In Chile, new regulations enforce the development of more specific mine closure plans. However, reclamation practitioners face a big challenge due to the large variability of mine operations and ecosystems across the country and the lack of local knowledge. In SW Patagonia, the landscape is dominanted by a mix of Nothofagus forest patches and large extentions of meadows that were established by european settlers following large forest fires. The reclamation success is limited by site conditions and poor reclamation practices. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a method developed in the Appalachian Region (USA) for reclaiming coal-mined land to forest. Specifically, the FRA recommendations include: (1) the development of suitable rooting medium for good tree growth; (2) to loosely grade the topsoil to create non-compacted growth medium; (3) the use of ground covers compatible with trees; (4) to plant different type of trees and, (5) to use the proper planting techniques. The objective of this work is to present the adaptation of the FRA model that a local coal mining have been implementing for Nothofagus forest since 2011 at Riesco Island in southern Chilean Patagonia. Specifically, Eduardo will be presenting the different reclamation challenges and the results of different studies related to soil savage and replacement, reforestation techniques and the use of local ground covers
Presentation
Adapting the forest reclamation approach for extreme environments: Challenges and opportunities for surface mining in Chilean Patagonia
Presented on 12th April 2018 at the 8th Annual Best Practice Ecological Rehabilitation of Mined Lands Conference (2018)
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