Page 312 - Advances In Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining

288 Advances in Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining

hickory, and maple can be included in the planting mix. It is important to include some
mid- and high-canopy trees in the planting mix for birds and mammals. In Appalachia,
a coniferous species, such as eastern white pine, may be included in the planting mix to
provide winter cover and shelter.
Reclamation practices that can be used to establish terrestrial wildlife habitat on
mine sites are described by Carrozzino et al. [73] and by Wood et al. [74], while tree
and shrub species for use in reclamation are described by Davis et al. [66,67] and
Monteleone et al. [68]. Such habitat is best established in association with surface
water sources, such as ponds, wetlands, or flowing streams, given that proximity to
water is a habitat requirement of many terrestrial species.
Although nonnative plant species, such as autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellate)in
the Appalachian region, have been used in the past for wildlife habitat plantings, many
such species have become problematic because of their tendencies to spread from
areas where planted to other areas where they interfere with both managed land uses
and natural ecosystem processes. Current best practice is to plant only native species
for purposes of creating wildlife habitat.

14.3.7.5 Biofuel crops

Many perennial herbaceous plants have been evaluated as sources for cellulosic mate-
rials to be converted to biofuel. For example, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a warm
season perennial grass native to North America, has been investigated as a biofuel
feedstock [75]. Due to its high biomass production, adaptability, tolerance to adverse
growing conditions, and low input requirements, switchgrass has been the most
selected and planted cellulosic biofuel feedstock [76]. Miscanthus giganteus is
another high-yielding plant with potential to produce large quantities of biomass [77].
Growing switchgrass and other biofuel crops on marginal lands offers a unique
opportunity to serve two purposes: using land not planted with food crops and con-
servation of soil resources. Surface mined lands with good soil properties could be
seeded with grasses such as switchgrass and Miscanthus that have significant biofuel
production potential. In addition, reclaimed lands with existing cool-season grasses
and legumes, such as fescue and lespedeza, could be converted to production of bio-
fuel feedstocks. Growing switchgrass as a biofuel feedstock could be a more efficient
and economical use of mined land that has not been placed in managed uses.
Studies conducted on switchgrass on mined land have shown biofuel production is
achievable. On mine soils in Pennsylvania, Dere et al. [78] found that increased com-
post rates increased switchgrass growth compared to unamended soil, and manure
combined with paper mill sludge further increased switchgrass growth. Switchgrass
performance was >5Mg/ha after the second year on a fertile mine soil in West Vir-
ginia [79], and >7Mg/ha after 3 years [80]. Miscanthus achieved 20Mg/ha on a
reclaimed mine site in West Virginia after 2 years of growth [77,81]. These results
demonstrate the potential opportunity of high-yielding biomass crops as feed stocks
for transportation fuels on mined lands. Mined lands can be prepared for establishment
of herbaceous biofuel crops using procedures described for hay land and pasture estab-
lishment, as stated earlier in this chapter.