Page 306 - Advances In Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining

282 Advances in Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining

Smaller dozers will exert less compactive effort than larger dozers during grading
and should be used if practical and available. Surface materials should be spread and
graded only when in a relatively dry condition, as soils are more vulnerable to com-
paction when in a wet condition. Once a mine-soil material intended for plant growth
has been placed and graded, it is essential that mining equipment be kept off of those
surfaces.

14.3.7 Reclamation for specific post-mining land uses
14.3.7.1 Prime farmland—Agriculture
Coal occurs beneath some of the most productive agricultural soils in the USA. Hence,
SMCRA establishes reclamation success standards that are area specific. On prime
farmlands, reclamation success is achieved if the restored soil is shown to be capable
of producing equal or greater crop yields compared to what was previously grown on
the site or on adjacent areas under the same levels of management.
Most prime farmland reclamation includes separate removal and handling of A/E,
B, and C soil horizons. When soils are reconstructed, those horizons are replaced in the
correct order and with similar depths. Research has shown that avoidance of soil com-
paction during soil reconstruction is essential if premining yields are to be restored.
Otherwise, compacted soils should be loosened using physical means [48]. Lime, fer-
tilizer, and mulch should be applied as needed, and vegetation should be established as
quickly as possible.

14.3.7.2 Hay land pasture
Under management, many mined lands in the USA can support highly productive and
sustained forage for livestock grazing if suitably reclaimed [49–53]. Forage-based
agronomic systems, even on natural soils, require periodic lime and fertilizer appli-
cations. These treatments are also necessary to maintain productive and high-quality
forage crops on mined lands [53].
When livestock pasture is the planned postmining land use, reclamation procedures
should construct mine soils that are relatively fine textured and moderate to neutral in
pH, ideally in the 6.0–7.0 pH range. More acidic materials (pH <5.5) can be used if
sufficient lime is applied to raise the pH to 6.0–7.0. Legume species such as clovers
are essential to nutritious pasture vegetation; such species are sensitive to soil acidity
and do not persist if adequate soil pH is not maintained. Soils for hay lands and pas-
tures should be graded smoothly, ideally with small equipment and under dry condi-
tions so as to avoid excessive compaction. Such areas can be seeded with a mixture of
pasture grasses and legumes suited to the local area (Table 14.2).

14.3.7.3 Forest
Surface mining has converted formerly forested ecosystems to nonforested conditions
throughout significant areas of the Appalachian coalfield [56,57]. In Appalachia, for-
ested ecosystems are valued because they produce saleable wood products, serve as