Growth and nutritional responses of 'Eucalyptus' and 'Corymbia' species during plantation establishment using effluent irrigation and organic compost on mine over burden in the Hunter Valley, NSW
In an attempt to make the communities which have developed in the Hunter Valley sustainable in the long-term, local government, community groups, regulators and mining operators want to ensure that the long-term legacy of mining in the region is minimised and that potential benefits are maximised. Rehabilitation efforts are focused on activities that will benefit the community after the extraction process has been completed. Regional planning has identified that commercial native forest plantations are considered as an opportunity for mine rehabilitation. While current rates of tree growth are not considered to be commercially viable, practical solutions are available to reduce current limitations and improve the viability of overburden stockpiles for production of forests with enhanced growth rates. In 1999, Muswellbrook Shire Council and the University of New England formed a partnership to research the feasibility of establishing commercial forests on coal mine overburden using effluent irrigation and organic compost, at a site in the Upper Hunter Valley. This thesis examines the effectiveness of using these techniques to enhance the establishment of Corymbia maculata, and seven Eucalyptus species, on coal mine overburden
