Hallside steelworks, South Lanarkshire, Scotland,
employed thousands of people and constructed rails and
ships for over a century, before this successful industry
closed in the 1970s. The site, south-east of Glasgow, was
then reclaimed from dereliction during the 1990s to
produce biomass through Short Rotation Coppice (SRC)
of willow trees (Salix spp.). On site, the contaminated
soil was removed, and a rudimentary substrate created
with a mixture of sewage sludge and colliery spoil, the
latter moved from nearby tips to release land for
housing. Trees were planted and earthworms (Annelida)
added to potentially assist growth. Initially recognised
as a flagship for reclamation, the site was then
abandoned. In 2018, information was gathered on the
development of soils and on earthworm communities.
This was achieved by sampling across the 35 ha site
below willow, other planted tree species and grassland.
The results showed that reclaimed soils were very stony,
compacted, resistant to water infiltration but relatively
uncontaminated. Willow had grown, but coppicing had
not occurred. Earthworm introduction was initially
unsuccessful, but colonisation took place from adjacent
unadulterated areas and 16 species from three ecological
groups were recorded. Mean community density was
208 ± 18.1 earthworms m-2 with a mean mass of 71 ±
6.1 g m-2. Type of vegetation cover had a significant
(P <0.05) effect on community density and biomass.
The site is now used for recreation and is an effective
greenspace close to Glasgow.
