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Why are pine trees often planted on mine spoils with acidic soil?
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land reclamation
The Yser River flowing through reclaimed farmland in Belgium.
Pine trees are frequently selected for the reforestation of mine spoils—the loose, infertile overburden left behind by surface mining—primarily because of their high acid tolerance.1
When materials overlying mineral deposits, such as coal, are rich in iron sulfides, they can become highly acidic through oxidation when exposed to air in spoil banks. Because many other plant species struggle to survive in these raw, infertile, and acidic conditions, pines are utilized as a practical solution for stabilizing and revegetating these disturbed landscapes.1