Reclamation Approach for Restoring Native Forests On Surface Mined Land in the Appalachian Coal Region.

The Appalachian ecosystem is one of the most complex natural ecosystems in the world, but it has reached a relatively stable equilibrium in terms of its geology, hydrology, and biology. In addition to wood products, its forests provide services that have an estimated value of three to ten times that of harvested wood products; these services include flood control, water quality, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and recreation and tourism. In the early years of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977), few forests were being restored. Thousands of acres of Appalachian forests have been replaced with hayland, pasture, or wildlife habitat. Left unmanaged, it has slowly succumbed to brushy, woody vegetation with little or no commercial value and degraded services. However, research by reclamation forestry groups throughout the Appalachian coalfields has shown that mined land can be rehabilitated with productive forests by placing selected mine soils deep and loose, minimizing competitive ground cover, and by planting a mix of native, valuable tree species. Soil and forest quality have been improved with this approach, but the full suite of ecosystem services will not have been restored. A holistic restoration approach (ecosystem restoration) is needed that includes landscape geomorphic design, stream reconstruction, soil replacement, restoration of the original flora and fauna by replacing seed pools, creating micro and macro habitat, and by planting and seeding selected native species. Our research shows that this ecosystem restoration approach can be done in the context of current regulations and at little or no extra cost to the coal operator. Benefits include greater land value for the owner including tax incentives in some states, potential for carbon credits, enhanced relationships with business partners, better watershed protection and quality, and greater levels of services provided to local communities.