Sustainable Mined Land Reclamation in the Eastern U. S. Coalfields: A Case for an Ecosystem Reclamation Approach

The demand for energy throughout the world grows each day, and coal will be needed to meet a large portion of that demand.Coal mining techniques in the Appalachian and Midwestern coalfields have evolved to mine larger land areas and multiple seams at greater depths.New reclamation methods and approaches also must evolve to minimize cumulative impacts on aquatic, terrestrial, and human resources.Mined land reforestation practices over the past 80 years illustrate the evolution of reclamation in the eastern coalfields of the U. S. Prior to the implementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), tree planting was synonymous with reclamation.Grassland reclamation became the dominant approach post-SMCRA.As stakeholders of the mining and reclamation process have begun to appreciate the value of forest ecosystems, there is greater emphasis on ensuring land and forest restoration and proper ecosystem functioning on reclaimed mined land.A forestry reclamation approach is supplanting grassland reclamation where forests are the logical postmining land use.Restoring forestland capability, native species, and watershed protection are positive outcomes.However, greater public demand for stream protection, water quality, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, native wildlife habitat, and human protection may require a more comprehensive ecosystem reclamation approach.In my view, the components of such an approach already have a good basis in science and could be applied through a process of adaptive management in the event such an approach is needed to help the coal industry in the U. S. maintain its social license to operate.