Rising mineral and fossil fuel demand have accelerated the global prevalence of surface mining, resulting in adverse impacts to many forest ecosystems. Post-mining reclamation techniques, specifically spoil preparation methods, can influence reforestation success and the trajectory of future stand dynamics. Compaction is a common post-mining spoil stabilization technique but consequently creates high-density rooting media unconducive to forest succession. In the eastern USA, mine operators have traditionally attempted mine reforestation in compacted soils, achieving little success. In 1996–1997, a series of reforestation plots were created on a reclaimed surface mine in eastern Kentucky, USA, to evaluate the impacts of post-mining spoil preparation on plantation development of six native tree species. We conducted follow-up inventories 19 years after planting to elucidate the effect of three spoil preparation methods on tree growth, stand structure, and natural regeneration during the initial period of the stem exclusion stage of stand development. Low compaction reclamation techniques prior to tree planting generally resulted in higher survival and larger trees of all species nearly two decades after establishment when compared with compacted spoil. Natural recruitment and relative percentage of native colonizing species were also inversely correlated with level of grading treatment. Height and biomass growth of plantations in low-compaction treatments approximated those of naturally regenerating stands in unmined forests during similar periods. Study findings indicate that choice of spoil preparation technique during initial stages of reclamation guides forest dynamics up to two decades after planting and that loose-dump and strike-off treatments each promote favorable long-term growth trajectories.

矿物和化石燃料需求的增长加速了全球露天采矿的流行，从而对许多森林生态系统产生了不利影响。采矿后的填海技术，特别是弃土准备方法，可能会影响造林成功和未来林分动态的轨迹。压实是采矿后常见的土壤稳定技术，但因此会产生不利于森林演替的高密度生根介质。在美国东部，矿山经营者传统上试图在压实的土壤中进行矿山造林，但收效甚微。在1996–1997年间，在美国肯塔基州东部的一家露天矿山上创建了一系列的植树造林地，以评估采矿后土壤制备对六种本地树种的人工林发展的影响。植树后19年，我们进行了跟踪调查，以阐明三种弃土制备方法在林分发育的茎排除阶段初期对树木生长，林分结构和自然再生的影响。与压实的弃土相比，植树前的低压实填海技术通常会在树种建立后近二十年内提高成活率，并提高所有树木的树种。自然招募和本地定居物种的相对百分比也与分级处理水平成反比。低密实处理中人工林的高度和生物量增长与未开采森林在相似时期的自然再生林相似。