XVI International Botanical Congess

Reclaimed industrial lands can be reintegrated into urban context. Part of reclamation is re-establishment of plants. Certain plant communities regenerate under adverse conditions, their regeneration patterns on industrial sites can lead to revegetation strategies. At Nine-Mile-Run in Pittsburgh, closed since 1970, a major substrate is slag, a by product from steel production. Other substrates are bricks, cement and other building materials. Plant regeneration patterns of a slag deposit and a mixed substrate deposit were compared. We identified patterns in the landscape that linked regeneration of plant communities with physical conditions. Vegetation, soil and microclimate were investigated. Slag has a hot microclimate, poor moisture and nutrient content and sparse plant cover. Mixed substrate's microclimatic and soil conditions are less extreme and vegetation is more developed.