6th Annual
Arbor Day Planting Event
Hosted by
Kopper Glo Mining LLC
with
Clairfield & White Oak
School students
Successful tree planting
on top of mountain in
Claiborne Co, TN
on re-mined land prepared
by the Forestry Reclamation Approach
17 April 2014 !!!
Photos shown below and on Flickr at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/95516223@N08/sets/72157644154378995/
A Serious Tree Planter!
The Arbor Day 2014 planting event was held on former abandoned mine land which Kopper Glo Mining, LLC has re-mined and is reclaiming using the Forestry Reclamation Approach.
Over 60 students from Clairfield and White Oak Schools and volunteers traveled to the site to plant over 1,000 bare-root seedlings of various species provided by Kopper Glo Mining, LLC, the Tennessee Mining Association, and the Coal Creek Watershed Foundation, Inc. The trees included American chestnuts planted for this future forest that students will be able to bring their grandchildren to visit one day. Foresters from The Office of Surface Mining led the effort and taught us the best methods for planting success.
Students saw areas where there were previously abandoned highwalls from mining performed prior to enactment of the 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), which have now been re-mined and are ready to become forests using FRA reclamation. Additional details about re-mining, and how FRA sites are part of the American Chestnut Foundation’s plan to introduce blight-resistant chestnuts into Appalachian forests, can be found at http://www.coalcreekaml.com/MineRecLesson3.htm.
OSM Forester Chris Miller teaches student proper
form of planting trees on the former mining site
We were even on TV!!
VIEW STORY FILMED BY TIM DAIL FROM KNOXVILLE'S NBC-TV Station
WBIR
http://www.wbir.com/video/3479866254001/1/Students-reclaim-the-land-by-planting-trees
2014 Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) Planting Site
Kopper Glo Mining, LLC is committed to environmentally responsible mining and
conducts its operations with the highest regard for the land.
In partnership with the University of Tennessee, Kopper Glo Mining, LLC conducts a
variety of scientific experiments on its mine sites, including
sedimentation studies, designed to improve the reclamation process. Through
their involvement with the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative, UT
distributes the findings throughout Appalachia ensuring the entire region’s
reclamation efforts benefit.
Plans for reclamation begin in the initial permitting phase and must be
approved by a variety of experts before mining can begin. Kopper Glo Mining,
LLC works closely with state and federal regulators and community interests
to ensure that lands return to their natural state once mining is complete.
Kopper Glo Mining, LLC surface mining operations use a Terex Superior Highwall Miner, which is able to maximize coal recovery and minimize
environmental impact.
Planting rows of trees for future forest!
Raise your hand if you have a family member
who works in the coal mining industry!!
Potted American Chestnuts were planted
View previous American
Chestnut
and Arbor Day
events.
How fast will these trees grow?? Students planted this American
chestnut
at our first Arbor Day event and it's already producing nuts!!
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Mined land abandoned
before 1977
with exposed highwalls
BEFORE RE-MINING
Barry Thacker with James who cared for the
American Chestnuts in his classroom before planting today
The giant American Chestnuts were the King of the Forests
in the Appalachian areas of old. We are helping to restore them.
American Chestnuts
Image from kitchengardeners.org
Volunteers from OSM, Kopper Glo Mining, LLC, Phil Boggs of Mark V
and Coal Creek Watershed Foundation
Lunch on the hillside
Host James Thacker of Kopper Glo Mining, LLC
Lunch Break!
Photos shown below and MORE on Flickr at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/95516223@N08/sets/72157644154378995/
WBIR-TV of Knoxville for making
this a special day for the students!