From slag heap to community forest

Discusses reforestation of graded slag piles in Nine Mile Run Valley of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [UMN]

"Slag piles in the Nine Mile Run valley of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are a remnant of the city’s steel-making heritage. Development of the brownfield site into a residential community included regrading and establishing permanent woodland vegetation on the steep slopes. A soil blend of on-site soils, granular slag, wood chips and bulk fertilizers was constructed on the slopes and seeded with a mixture of warm-season grasses and legumes. Hardwood and coniferous seedlings and saplings, both bare root and balled and burlap, chosen for their tolerance of high pH and compaction, were planted on the slopes. Ongoing monitoring of vegetation performance will guide future phases of this long-term project." [Abstract]

[September 17-20, 2003, San Antonio, Texas]