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Estimating the Unknown Components of Nutrient Mass Balances for Forestry Plantations in Mine Rehabilitation, Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia

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Abstract

Commercial forestry plantations as a postmining land use in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia are restricted by both the poor nutrient availability of mining substrates and low regional rainfall. An experiment was conducted to investigate whether municipal waste products and saline groundwater from coal mining operations could improve early tree growth without impacting on the environment through salt accumulation and/or nutrient enrichment and changes in groundwater quality. Potential impacts were investigated by quantifying the nutrient cycling dynamics within the plantation using an input–output mass balance approach for exchangeable calcium (Ca2+), exchangeable magnesium (Mg2+), exchangeable potassium (K+), exchangeable sodium (Na+), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). Measured inputs to and outputs from the available nutrient pool in the 0–30 cm of the overburden subsystem were used to estimate the net effect of unmeasured inputs and outputs (termed “residuals”). Residual values in the mass balance of the irrigated treatments demonstrated large leaching losses of exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, and Na. Between 96% and 103% of Na applied in saline mine-water irrigation was leached below the 0–30-cm soil profile zone. The fate of these salts beyond 30 cm is unknown, but results suggest that irrigation with saline mine water had minimal impact on the substrate to 30 cm over the first 2 years since plantation establishment. Accumulations of N and P were detected for the substrate amendments, suggesting that organic amendments (particularly compost) retained the applied nutrients with very little associated losses, particularly through leaching.

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Acknowledgments

Muswellbrook Shire Council funded the research program and postgraduate scholarship for this project in collaboration with Ecosystem Management in the School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management at the University of New England. Drayton Colliery generously provided the land, facilities, and infrastructure support for the study. Pam Simpson from Drayton Colliery provided valuable assistance and support during the project. We wish to thank Dr. Ian Davies from the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computing Sciences, UNE for statistical advice. Marion Costigan and Judi Kenny provided valuable technical assistance in the laboratory, and Trevor Stace assisted in many fieldwork components.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecosystem Management and Agronomy and Soil Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia

    A. M. Mercuri

  2. Ecosystem Management, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia

    J. A. Duggin

  3. Agronomy and Soil Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia

    H. Daniel & P. V. Lockwood

  4. Ecosystem Management, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia

    C. D. Grant

  5. Environment Department, Alcoa World Alumina Australia, Applecross, WA, 6153, Australia

    C. D. Grant

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  1. A. M. Mercuri
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  2. J. A. Duggin
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  3. H. Daniel
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  4. P. V. Lockwood
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  5. C. D. Grant
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Correspondence to H. Daniel.

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Mercuri, A.M., Duggin, J.A., Daniel, H. et al. Estimating the Unknown Components of Nutrient Mass Balances for Forestry Plantations in Mine Rehabilitation, Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia. Environmental Management 37, 496–512 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-0245-0

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