Land Reclamation

Since 1980, an estimated 1.2 million acres in Kentucky, nearly 5% of the state’s total land area, have been permitted for coal mining, almost all of these in eastern Kentucky. While coal mining has been an economic asset to Kentucky, it has also produced negative outcomes, including flooding, poor water quality, loss of forest habitat, and devaluation of the land, among others.

Led by Donald Graves in the UK Department of Forestry, the Reclamation of Surface-Mined Lands initiative is developing new standards for industry reclamation of mined lands through model projects in reforestation, headwater stream restoration, water quality improvement, wildlife habitat enhancement, and atmospheric carbon dioxide mitigation.

Reforestation of Surface Mined Lands in Kentucky

The project will develop and verify reforestation techniques on post-mined lands using high-value hardwood tree species. In addition, the project seeks ways to promote terrestrial carbon sequestration through reforestation to capture and store carbon dioxide, mitigating global warming, and reducing other pollutants.

The developed methods should reduce flooding and decrease water pollution in the watershed. This project particularly targets eastern Kentucky, where nearly 98 percent of Kentucky's currently permitted mining is located.

Actions and Outcomes to Date

The initiative has produced a host of external partners, including the UK College of Engineering Department of Mine Engineering, the UK College of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mines, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife's Stream Mitigation Team, Appalachian Fuels, Charolais, LCC, Cypres Amex, Peabody Energy, Pittston Coal, AEI, TECO Coal, Big Elk Coal, Senator Mitch McConnell, and Congressman Hal Rogers. The initiative is working in Pike, Letcher, Martin, Knott, Perry, Breathitt, Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Henderson, Laurel, McLean, Ohio, Rockcastle, Clay, and Pulaski counties. The impact of the research extends to all counties in the Eastern and Western Coal Fields as well as to Cooperative Extension and K-12 outreach.

UK forest reclamation project leaders have undertaken a large-scale project to simultaneously address several coal mining-related environmental and ecological problems. As such, specific research projects pertaining to mine land reforestation, headwater stream restoration, water quality improvement, wildlife habitat enhancement, and atmospheric CO2 mitigation are underway. Use of newly developed reclamation methods intended for minimizing environmental and ecological damage will greatly benefit the citizens of Kentucky. Thus far, the following have been accomplished through this research initiative:

• Over 1.85 million seedlings have been planted by our group on nearly 2,800 acres of previously reclaimed (grasslands) and active mine lands in Kentucky.
• The Kentucky Department of Natural Resources has indicated that 25,000 acres of newly permitted surface mine lands have listed “forestry” as the designated post-mining land use, which shows that the practices recommended, described, and demonstrated by the UK group are being adopted by the coal mining industry.
• Seedling survival varies by species, site and reclamation approach with averages approximating 80% for loose dumped spoil, 70% for ripped spoil, and less than 25% using traditional reclamation techniques.
• Use of the forestry reclamation approach has resulted in savings of approximately $2,000 per acre over traditional reclamation practices. Lands reclaimed to forests sell for as much as 20% higher than those reclaimed to wildlife habitat.
• High-value tree species such as White Oak, Red Oak, and Yellow Poplar are performing well in the loose spoils. This survival rate with these species is significant from both an economic and ecological standpoint. Research on White Oak and Yellow Poplar show that the reforested species exhibit a similar growth trajectory as those growing on non-mined Eastern Kentucky forests.
• Carbon sequestration rates as high as 2.9 metric tons per hectare per year have been measured in recently reforested loose-dumped spoil. Total carbon production (plant and spoil carbon) on eight year-old stands with loose-dumped spoil average 40 metric tons per hectare. Given that carbon credits are currently being traded at approximately $4 per metric ton on the Chicago Climate Exchange, carbon capture may provide opportunities for alternative post-mining land use.
• Designs for the restoration of the Guy Cove watershed were approved by the Kentucky Mitigation Review Team and funds for the project ($1.07 million) were released to UK. The project will involve the reforestation of a 110 acre watershed, creation/restoration of approximately 6,000 feet (1.14 miles) of stream channel and the creation of approximately one acre of wetland habitat. The project will also evaluate the use of passive treatment systems, including bio-reactors and artificial wetlands, for water quality improvement.
• Twenty-two presentations pertaining to this project were given to national and international scientific audiences in the last two years.
• Over 1,000 individuals from federal, state, and local government, the coal mining industry, environmental groups, primary and secondary schools, and civic groups, participated in workshops, tours, and demonstrations held at these newly developed outdoor classrooms.
• A DVD entitled Reclaiming the Future: Reforestation in Appalachia has been created. It provides an overview of the forestry reclamation approach and of UK coal-mined lands restoration research efforts. The DVD and current information pertaining to the reforestation, reclamation, and restoration of land and water resources impacted by coal mining activities are available at the project website.
• A teacher’s guide to accompany the DVD, Reclaiming the Future: Reforestation in Appalachia, was developed and has been distributed to K-12 teachers throughout the state to educate students on the complex issue of coal mining reclamation in Kentucky.

Work will continue to examine the forests that were established during this study and to evaluate the economic impact that the Forestry Reclamation Approach is having on the coal mining industry and the greater Appalachian community.

Additional future efforts will be focused on the development of new initiatives for use and enhancement of reforested mine lands. As with most states in the US, Kentucky relies heavily upon fossil fuels for energy production. Even though coal provides a very low–cost energy source, reserves of this non-renewable resource are diminishing and alternative fuels need to be identified. The use of woody biomass for energy production has gained much attention recently not only for its potential as a low-cost supply of power, but also for the potential environmental and rural economic development benefits it offers.

Notwithstanding, utilization of a U.S. derived energy source is of great importance for offsetting our dependence on foreign fuels. According to the Kentucky Office of Energy Policy, Division of Fossil Fuels & Utility Services and the Kentucky Coal Association, there are 668,844 acres in Phase I, II or III bond release in the Commonwealth (1984-2005), some of which could potentially be used as biomass feedstock plantations. Establishment of biomass plantations on surface mine lands using the Forestry Reclamation Approach would reduce the rate of CO2 buildup in the atmosphere by sequestering carbon and by decreasing use of non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal and oil, mitigate emissions and local impacts from fossil fuel power generation, facilitate the restoration of degraded mine lands, reduce social outrage at harvesting mature hardwood stands on existing forests, and create quality jobs.

All of these goals present opportunities for the citizens of the Commonwealth and are closely aligned with several recommendations outlined in Governor Fletcher’s 2005 Comprehensive Strategy.  Based upon current research, the project researchers believe that surface mined lands present an ideal location for establishing biomass/bioenergy plantations in Kentucky and that research on maximizing productivity on these sites via intensive forestry management practices will demonstrate this capacity. As such, they hope to secure funding for a project that will aid Kentucky in its pursuit to identify a renewable low-cost energy fuel for the future, while preserving and improving Kentucky’s environment and promoting rural economic development. Utilizing the partnerships already established, the UK team members feel they are ideally situated to undertake this important task.