Woody Plant Abundance in the Red Rocks Canyon Landfill

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Woody Plant Abundance in the Red Rocks Canyon
Landfill

• Laura Holder
• Caity Ross
• Becca Willis

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Landfills are a part of the urban landscape
www.learn.co.uk/.../ks2/ rubbish1/article1.asp
www.eeingeorgia.org/eic/eic_schools/ columbia.htm
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Problems With Reclamation

• Elevated pH
• High soil moisture
• High methane levels
• Low abundance of woody plants

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Effects of pH
Leachates
Decomposing refuse
Basic Soil
Inhibited plant growth
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Effects of Soil Moisture
Water binding
Clay Cap
Dense soil
Poor Root Growth
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Effects of Methane
Methane release
Organic Waste
Methanotrophs
Excess CO2
Poor plant growth
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Lack of Woody Plants
Basic soil Moist clay cap Anoxic
conditions Poor plant growth
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Red Rock Canyon Landfill

• Location
• Operated from 1970 until 1986
• Fifty feet of debris covering the 80 acre
  landfill area
• Clay-capped in 1986

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Hypothesis

• Low abundance of woody plants in landfill because
  of
• -Acidic Soil
• -High Soil Moisture Content
• -High Methane Levels

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Methods Establishing Plots
http//www.saveredrockcanyon.com/location.htm
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Methods Plant Abundance
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Methods Soil Cores
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Methods pH and Moisture
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Methods Methane
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Methods Gas Chromatograph
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Results

• 1) Abundance
• 2) Temperature
• 3) Moisture
• 4) pH
• 5) Methane

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Plant Abundance by Area
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Average Temperature by Area
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Average Moisture by Area
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Average pH by Area
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Average Methane Flux by Area
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Woody Plants vs. Temperature
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Woody Plants vs. Moisture
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Woody Plants vs. pH
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Woody Plants vs. Methane Flux
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Furthering Studies

• More time/plots
• Deeper soil tests
• Trace metals and cations
• Leachate composition
• Seed dispersal
• Redox tests
• DNA probe

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Societal Impact
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http//www.saveredrockscanyon.com/photos.htm
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http//www.saveredrockscanyon.com/photos.htm
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Works Cited

• Arthur, J.J., Leone, I.A. Leone, and F.B. Flower.
  1981. Flooding and Landfill Gas Effects on Red
  and Sugar Maples. Journal of Environmental
  Quality. 10 431-433.
•  
• Ellis, D. 2000. The Landfill. Red Rock Rag. 2
  2-3
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• Ellis, D. 2000. Keep this Map. Red Rock Rag. 7
  2-3
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• Ettala, M., P. Rahkonen, V. Kitunen, O. Valo, and
  M.S. Salonen. 1988. Quality of Refuse, Gas, and
  Water at a Sanitary Landfill. Aqua Fennica. 18
  15-28.
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• Fernandez, I.J. and P.A. Kosian. 1987. Soil Air
  Carbon Dioxide Concentrations in a New England
  Spruce-Fir Forest. Soil Science of America
  Journal. 51 261-263.
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• Foster, G. A. 2001. Assessment of Landfill
  Reclamation and the Effects of Age on the
• Combustion of Recovered MSW. MSW Management.
•  
• Gilman, E.F., Flower, F.B, and I.D. Leone. 1985.
  Standardized Procedures for Planting Vegetation
  on Completed Landfills. 3 65-80.
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• McDonnell, M.J., and E.W. Stiles. 1983. The
  Structural Complexity of Old Field Vegetation and
  the Recruitment of Bird-Dispersed Plant Species.
  Oecologia. 56 109-116.
•  
• Whitney, G.G. 1991. Relation of Plant Species
  to Substrate, Landscape Position, and Aspect in
  North Central Massachusetts. Canadian Journal of
  Forest Research. 1245-1252.
•  

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Acknowledgements

• Sharon Hall
• Shar Samy
• Terry Putman
• Joss McKinnen
• The RRCL Security Guard
• The German Women Hiking Group