Vascular flora of the King Road Landfill in Northwest Ohio

The vascular flora of the King Road Landfill (KRL), located in Sylvania, Ohio, was surveyed during the 2004 growing season to evaluate the development of the plant community and compare it with that of four mature woodlands typical of the native Oak Openings Region: floodplain, sand barren, oak savanna, and deciduous forest. All surveys were made using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Inventory and Analysis method for phase two plots. Of the 153 plant species identified at the KRL, 60% were native. It was interesting to note that threatened and endangered species (e.g., Digitaria filiformis, Lupinus perennis, and Panicum lindheimeri) also were present. Comparative analysis revealed little similarity with the regional woodlands (Jaccard Index values < 0.5). Two primary factors may have been responsible: (1) 30 years of inactivity at the KRL were insuficient to attain a mature plant community. Indeed, late successional plant species were observed only in the landfill section that had been closed for the longest period of time. (2) The vegetation that surrounded and thus colonized the KRL was not similar to that of the regional woodlands (Jaccard Index values < 0.5). The results of this study were presented to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency as part of a remedial option for the KRL, which includes creation of a nature preserve at the KRL and an opportunity to direct and study the long-term development of the maturing plant community. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]