Appalachian landowners are becoming increasingly interested in restoring native hardwood
forest on reclaimed mined land. Trees are usually planted in topsoil substitutes consisting of
blasted rock strata, and reforestation attempts using native hardwoods are often unsuccessful due
to adverse soil properties. The purpose of this study was to determine which mine soil properties
most influence white oak (Quercus alba L.) seedling growth, and to test whether these properties
are adequately reflected in a proposed mine soil classification model developed for application in
field assessments of mine soil suitability for reforestation. Seventy-two three-year-old white
oaks were randomly selected across a reclaimed site in southwestern Virginia that varied greatly
in spoil/site properties. Tree height was measured and soil samples adjacent to each tree were
analyzed for physical, chemical, and biological properties. Our proposed mined land
classification model used rock type, compaction, and slope aspect as mapping criteria. Tree
height, ranging from 15.2 to 125.0 cm, was regressed against mine soil and site properties.
Mapping units were not well correlated with differences in tree height. Microbial biomass, pH,
exchangeable potassium, extractable inorganic nitrogen, texture, aspect, and extractable
phosphorous accounted for 52% of the variability in tree growth. The regression model shows
that white oaks were most successful on northeast-facing aspects, in slightly-acidic, sandy loam,
fertile mine soils that are conducive to microbial activity. Nutrient availability, although found
to be highly influential on tree growth, was not adequately represented in the classification
model. We recommend that pH be included as a classification criterion, as it was correlated with
all nutrient variables in the regression model.