Volume II, Number 8

 December 2006

eMDE is a monthly publication of the Maryland Department of the Environment. It covers articles on current environmental issues and events in the state. 

Water Management Administration Joins other Agencies in Reforestation Demonstration Project

By Michael Garner, Water Management Administration

Click on photo to view larger image

The Maryland Department of the Environment’s Bureau of Mines has successfully completed a reforestation demonstration plot on a reclaimed surface mine. The plot was completed in the spring of 2006 in conjunction with the reclamation of the TD Mining Bond Forfeiture Reclamation Project, located just southwest of Frostburg in Garrett County.

Most surface mined lands in the Appalachian coal fields were forested prior to mining. Surface coal mining completely removes the vegetation and soil from the surface to extract the underlying coal reserves. The 1977-enacted federal surface mining laws dictated national standards for coal mining and coal mine reclamation. To meet these standards, coal mine operators began using heavy grading, soil compaction, and thick herbaceous ground cover to provide both quick and long-term soil stabilization. Although this type of reclamation is suited for a post-mining land use of pasture or grazing areas, it is a practice that severely inhibits tree growth by impeding root penetration and decreasing water infiltration into the soil. The thick mat of cool season grasses competes with small seedlings for moisture and sunlight, delays natural succession by decades and severely limits the survival rate of planted tree seedlings.

Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI)

In 2004, the Maryland Bureau of Mines, the federal Office of Surface Mining, and coal mining agencies from Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Tennessee began to promote ARRI. The goals of ARRI are to promote planting hardwood trees on reclaimed coal mines in Appalachia and reestablish high-value hardwood forests that existed prior to mining. ARRI promotes programs the use of the Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) to the coal mining industry, landowners and state abandoned mine reclamation, in five steps:

1. Create a suitable rooting medium for good tree growth that is no less than 4 feet deep and comprised of topsoil, weathered sandstone and/or the best available material.
2. Loosely grade the rooting topsoil (or topsoil substitutes) to create a non-compacted growth medium.
3. Use native and non-competitive herbaceous ground covers that are compatible with growing trees.
4. Plant two types of trees, early succession species for wildlife and soil stability, and commercially valuable crop trees.
5. Use proper tree planting techniques.

Three demonstration plots (show at left) were developed on the TD Mine Project Site using the FRA techniques. Soil suitable for tree growth that was encountered during grading operations was left in place until the demonstration plots were rough backfilled and ready for topsoil placement. The soil was then pushed by bulldozers from the stockpile area and deposited on the demonstration plot surfaces. With the first blade full of soil pushed to the back of the demonstration plots, each consecutive blade full was butted against the previous. The topsoil was never compacted by bulldozer traffic and left very rough. The abutting soil piles were then backbladed with a single pass resulting in a uniform, uncompacted topsoil layer of four to six feet thick. A composite soil sample was taken and reported a pH of 6.4. No nutrient analysis was completed and no soil amendments were applied.

The plots are on the east slope of Big Savage Mountain, elevation 2650, and slope toward the southeast at a 6 percent grade. On Plot #1, trees were planted by hand using the Bureau of Mine’s in-house tree planting crew. The trees were planted during the first week in April, 2005. Plot #2 was planted by hand on April 6, 2006, by high school students, government personnel, watershed groups and other volunteers during the Bureau of Mines 2006 Arbor Day event.

The remainder of the mine site (Plot #3) was backfilled, graded and stabilized using the traditional reclamation methods of compaction and thick herbaceous ground covers. Trees were planted on this area during the last week in April, 2006, by a contractor using a mechanized tree planter. A mixture of Green Ash, Pin Oak, Black Cherry, Northern Red Oak, Chestnut Oak, and White Oak were planted at a rate of 500 trees to the acre. This area was also treated with five tons/acre of agricultural grade lime and 400 lbs/acre of fertilizer. These rates are an industry standard and generally accepted as appropriate application rates for new revegetation on mine sites.

The goal of the demonstration project is not to provide scientific data, but rather a demonstration site that will visually show the benefits of the FRA to Maryland’s Coal Mining Industry and landowners who have property leased to mining companies. It will be used to promote forestry as a viable post-mining land-use. This will encourage coal mine operators and landowners to forego the visually pleasing, smooth, compacted grades, and sterile grass fields for the environmental and economic benefits of a well-managed hardwood forest.

FRA Sites Prove Successful

The initial results show greater tree growth and survival rates on the FRA sites, although a late summer drought in 2005 affected Plot #1. It will require at least one or two more growing season before the benefits can be visually observed. To learn more about the ARRI, visit the web site at http://arri.osmre.gov/

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