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Each year, Arbor Day grows as a global holiday. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) Bureau of Mines celebrates each year by co-hosting a tree planting event with the Georges Creek Watershed Association. Approximately 100 volunteers from the local high schools, youth camps, watershed associations and government agencies will plant nearly 5,000 trees on 10 acres. This year’s event will be celebrated in mid-April, near Frostburg, Md., to promote reforestation of coal mined land.
Since 1960 nearly one half of all surface coal mined land in Maryland has been replanted using reforestation efforts. Traditional mine reclamation methods, involving a process to establish a thick stand of grass to stabilize the soil is effective for a pasture or other agricultural uses. But if the land is to be returned to forest, the heavy soil compaction and thick grass limits the natural succession of trees onto the site and negatively impacts planted tree seedling survival.
Hardwood for Longevity
The goal of this Arbor Day event is to promote reforestation of mined land using commercially valuable hardwood species such as Oak, Maple, Cherry, Walnut and Ash and to restore the type of Appalachian forest that often existed prior to the site being mined. The trees are a long-term investment in the natural resources of the state that will provide the economic and environmental benefits of a healthy and diverse forest. This event also enhances tree planting efforts of the Maryland Bureau of Mines and the local coal mining industry.
Giving Back to the Land
Through a cost share program with the Bureau of Mines, Maryland coal mine operators have planted nearly 7.5 million trees and shrubs on 10,500 acres of reclaimed surface coal mines. The Frostburg tree planting site was surface-mined in the late 1980’s and subsequently reclaimed to pasture. In addition to the coal industry tree planting, the Maryland Bureau of Mines plants an average of 35 acres each year on abandoned mines sites.
Doing their Part
The Clise Coal Company donated a bulldozer to prepare the site for tree planting. The equipment was used to remove the sod and improve the survival and growth rate of the planted trees. Allegany Coal and Land provided access to the land and worked with the MDE and the Georges Creek Watershed group to promote reforestation. Participation from public agencies, the private sector and citizens makes this a very successful team effort.
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