Surface coal mining in Appalachia has caused extensive replacement of forest with non-forested land cover, much of which is unmanaged and unproductive. Although forested ecosystems are valued by society for both marketable products and ecosystem services, forests have not been restored on most Appalachian mined lands because traditional reclamation practices, encouraged by regulatory policies, ...

Coal resource is the main primary energy in our country, while Shanxi Province is the most important province in resource. Therefore Shanxi is an energy base for our country and has a great significance in energy strategy. However because of the heavy development of the coal resource, the ecological environment is worsening and the farmland is reducing continuously in Shanxi Province. How to re...

This paper describes how the information of the key indicators for assessing the degree of forest reclamation success in ex coal-mining area was identified. Those indicators were analyzed using the descriptive statistic as well as the discriminant analysis on the basis of biophysical data representing age class of vegetation after reclamation. The main objective of the study was to find out the...

Surface coal mining has become the ideal method for extracting coal from the Appalachia Mountains. However, surface coal mining generates large amounts of waste which may decrease the water quality in central Appalachia. This research is an attempt to determine whether surface coal mining negatively impacts water quality. This research consists of a literature review in addition to an analysis ...

Taking Renjiazhuang coal mine as the object of study, this paper carries on evaluation to destruction degree in this area by using extension theory and establishing evaluation extension model of land destruction in mining area. Results show that severe destruction area of collapse land in Renjiazhuang coal mine is 112.86hm, moderate destruction area is 372.27hm, light destruction area is 723.42...

CROXTON, W. C. 1928 Revegetation of Illinois coal stripped lands. Ecology, 9, 155-175. HEADLEE, A. J. W. 1955 Characteristics of minable coals of West Virginia. West Virginia Geological Survey, Pt. VI, The structure of bituminous coals, 13(A) 123-149. KOHNKE, H. 1950 The reclamation of coal mine spoils. Advances in Agron., 2, 317-349. PATERSON, D. D. 1939 Statistical technique in agricultural r...

Surface coal mines prior to 1950 in the USA were generally left without any reclamation. As government regulations advanced since then, mine operators were required to backfill the area and plant grasses or trees. After the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was passed in 1977 in the USA, mine operators were required to conduct pre-mining analyses of the site and to desi...

Environmental concerns over increased coal consumption are fully justified by the past history of coal use. Although improved technology has provided some safeguards, increased utilization will require mining practices, emission control technologies, and waste disposal procedures that are not yet fully integrated into the routine use of the coal energy system. The Committee on Health and Evniro...

Self-ignited, naturally occurring coal fires and fires resulting from human activities persist for decades in underground coal mines, coal waste piles, and unmined coal beds. These uncontrolled coal fires occur in all coal-bearing parts of the world (Stracher, 2007) and pose multiple threats to the global environment because they emit greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4)—as ...

Abandoned coal mine wastes can result in severe pollution and have aesthetic impact on the local environment. A range of reclamation techniques is available for substrate but only through the use of vegetation to stabilize coal mine wastes can complete long-term rehabilitation be achieved. Experimentation has been undertaken at coal mine sites to attempt to elucidate and overcome limitations to...