Tree Survey of Former Coal-Ash Dump Site along the Kalamazoo River and Identification of Potential Bioindicator Species
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433 Ambersee was the former coal ash dump site for a coal fired power plant, located in the floodplain ecosystem along the Kalamazoo River. In an effort to remediate the land, vegetation surveys were conducted as a part of the Riverview Land Remediation project, a community driven environmental education and remediation effort focused on community empowerment. These surveys were conducted with the consent of a community of unhoused people living on the property, largely unaware of the potential danger of the coal ash under the layer of topsoil. Trees located on the east and west banks of the river corresponding with the property markers were identified and measured. We found that the predominant species of trees present were Acer saccharinum and Catalpa speciosa, which have the potential to act as bioindicators for ecosystem remediation. While there was a significant difference in the trunk diameter of Catalpa speciosa between the two banks (p < 0.001), there was no significant difference in Acer saccharinum (p = 0.4397). There are also many trees present along the riverbanks that are normally found in more intact floodplain ecosystems in Kalamazoo. Planting more of these trees in the large field connected to the riverbank may provide more stability to the ecosystem but more coal ash may need to be removed from the property in order to sustain them.