Impacts of reclamation approaches on plant establishment in an arid environment during copper mine revegetation

Abstract Introduction Revegetation using native vegetation is a commonly used technique to reclaim landscapes degraded by mining activities. Revegetation efforts in the arid Southwestern United States face physical, geochemical, hydrological, and biological challenges unique to drylands. It is crucial to select seed application methods that have the highest chance of success when considering site characteristics and environmental limitations. Objectives The study evaluated the (1) effects of timing of seeding (summer monsoon vs. winter rains); (2) seed application method (hydroseeding vs. seedball application); and (3) mycorrhizal fungi inoculation (AM120 commercial suite) on plant establishment patterns across 4 years on a copper mine located in an arid region of central Arizona. Results Timing of seeding and mycorrhizae inoculation did not affect the overall cover and density of vegetation; however, plant community composition for all hydroseeded treatments shifted over time from one dominated by annual forbs to a shrub‐dominated community with an understory of annual and perennial grasses. Hydroseeding was most successful in reestablishing vegetation and was shown to contribute to the development and maintenance of a native soil seed bank. Conclusions Our results indicate that hydroseeding is a viable technique for both revegetation and the amplification and development of the native seedbank on hard rock mines in arid lands. Longer term monitoring will further confirm the impact of the seed mix composition and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation on the observed transitions in plant community development and provide a metric for plant establishment patterns during the early monitoring stages of mine site reclamation.