Establishment and Growth of Eight Native Species of Trees in Deserted Land Around An Iron Mining

Following the principles of ecosystems succession,an experiment was conducted in the acidic wasteland of Nanshan Iron Mining,Maanshan City,Anhui Province,on establishment of eight native species of trees,i.e.Cyclobalanopsis glauca,Castanopsis sclerophylla,Quercus fabri,Quercus acutissima,Quercus chenii,Ulmus parvifolia,Phoebe sheareri,and Machilus leptophylla.Three years after transplantation,Quercus chenii was found growing the fastest,reaching(194.89±2.71) cm in tallness,demonstrating a growth rate of 39.96 cm per year while Phoebe sheareri the slowest,being(72.67±2.91) cm with a growth rate of 20.89 cm per year.In terms of average ground diameter,Ulmus parvifolia ranked first,reaching(3.87±0.11) cm,whereas Phoebe sheareri last,being(1.27±0.15) cm.It is shown that these native species of trees can survive and grow up well in the acidic wasteland with some artificial assistance.In addition,broad-leaved deciduous trees are more adaptable to the experimental site than broad-leaved evergreen trees,and thought to be priority candidates to be used to restore native plant communities.