Soil properties and level of heavy metals in coal wastes and their association with plant establishment (Case study: coal mine of Karmozd Svadkoh, Mazandaran province)

In this study the coal waste properties and the presence of plant species were studies in three abandoned coale waste with different ages and surrounding rangeland. This was carried out in coal reserves of central Alborz in Savadkooh, Mazandaran province. Vegetation and soil were sampled using random-systematic method in 1 m2 plots. According to ANOVA, there were significant differences for soil characteristics among the study areas except for moisture, lime, nitrogen and potassium. The highest amount of silt (20.26%) and acidity (7.4) was observed in rangeland, while the highest electrical conductivity (3.08 ds.m-1) was found in coal waste after 10yrs of abandonment. The amount of metal cautions including copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) and cobalt (Co) in the rangeland were a little higher than that in coal wastes and gradually increased with increasing in wastes age. The results of CCA showed that the distribution of species composition significantly responded to soil properties and heavy metals. In general, electrical conductivity, soil texture and heavy elements were the main soil factors influencing the primary establishment of species composition.