Tree Planting Experiences in the Eastern Interior Coal Province
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TREE PLANTING EXPERIENCES IN THE EASTERN INTERIOR COAL PROVINCE Paper Presented at the Symposium on Trees for Reclamation in the Eastern U.S. Lexington, Kentucky October 27-29, 1980 Charles Medvick Land Reclamation Specialist, Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals, Land Reclamation Division Route 6, Box 140-A, Marion, Illinois 62959 Abstract.--Fruit trees were planted successfully in 1918 and organized afforestation began in 1928. Profes- sional foresters had a hand in some of the very earliest planting projects. Formal reclamation research played an important role in applying science to early reclamation technology; however, considerable work has preceded the scientists. Some success has been experienced with tree planting on coal waste slurry, a problem site with uniquely adverse conditions. Some indications were found showing early Chinese Chestnut tree plantings developing into timber form trees, under some conditions. It was also observed that Chinese Chestnut trees are reproducing naturally from trees planted on mine spoils as young as 12 to 15 years of age. INTRODUCTION common to this area is generally thick uncon- solidated overburden materials lying above Subject of this paper deals with the shale, sandstone; limestone, or a combination Eastern Interior Province (E.I.P.). Though of the three, which form the balance of the the bulk of this region is in Illinois, the overburden above coals in this area. E.I.P. area extends over Southwestern Indiana and the northern part of Western Kentucky. There is considerable similarity between All of the coal mining activity in Illinois surface mining conditions in the Illinois and and Indiana is within the E.I.P.; however, Indiana unglaciated regions. Unconsolidated Kentucky occupies parts of two coal provinces materials layers are generally thinner than of which only Western Kentucky is within the in the glaciated region, with about three feet E.I.P. to ten or twelve feet of unconsolidated mate- rial commonly occurring. Generally, the E.I.P. geographically is characterized by relatively low relief to level The E.I.P. of Kentucky resembles the un- or nearly level land topography. Lesser por- glaciated coal region of Southern Illinois and tions of all three states within this province Southern Indiana to some degree; however, have commercial coal mining operations on topographic relief is somewhat greater and steeper topography which occasionally also existing natural soils are part of the total may include steep (over 37%) slopes. Unlike unconsolidated materials layer which is sig- steep slope areas of Appalachia; however, nificantly thinner. The more undulating topo- steep slopes of the Eastern Interior Coal graphy and thinner soils of the unglaciated Province tend to be relatively short in slope region stand as a striking contrast to the length. level to nearly level topography and thick soils (up to 16 inches of A-horizon soil) in Bulk of the surface mining in Illinois the prairie region of West Central and North- and about half of that in Indiana occurs ern Illinois, which comprises some of the within the glaciated region, with relatively nation's most productive agricultural lands. low relief topography. Another feature 85 Rainfall generally is about 40 inches or planting stock. Tree planting stock was more annually in the E.I.P., decreasing shipped by rail from eastern tree nurseries, slightly as latitude increases northward. prior to the time tree nurseries were es- Climate in the entire province is favorable tablished locally. for a wide variety of commercial crop pro- duction and also favorable for commercial Under these conditions, both planting forest production. success and planting failures were exper- ienced. To those who came along on the scene later, these early successes and failures be- RECLAMATION HISTORY came laboratories from which to learn. As such, results preceded the science. Some of the oldest, if not the oldest, land reclamation effort in the country occur- Eventually individual state coal opera- red in the E.I.P. This would seem not too tor associations enlisted the aid of forestry surprising, since the earliest commercial coal researchers from the U.S. Forest Service and surface mining in the country is reported to from the various university agricultural ex- have occurred near Danville, Illinois in 1866 periment stations. The science of land rec- (Illinois Blue Book 1971-1972). lamation began to take shape. Some tree species selection began to emerge and some Peach, apple and pear trees were suc- recognition of different spoil conditions cessfully planted on mine spoils in Clay permitted some unsophisticated -- yet real County, Indiana in 1918. Though some small effort to include or exclude certain species forest plantings occurred earlier, an organ- on some generally specific sites (Limstrom ized afforestation program on mine spoils in and Deitschman 1951). Indiana started in 1928 (Medvick 1973). By around 1950, afforestation was no An interesting early influence in Illi- longer a hit and miss situation. Trying to nois involved the tree nursery program de- establish a "preferred" type forest on vary- veloped in connection with the Civilian ing sites became the major objective. Tech- Conservation Corps program. Discontinuation nically, afforestation on mine spoils, in a of that program in the late 1930's made sur- rough fashion, at least, was a known practice plus trees available which were purchased by and this fledgling science preceded statutory coal operators and planted on strip mine requirements calling for mandatory planting spoils (Illinois Blue Book 1971-1972). of disturbed lands in all three states of the Eastern Interior Coal Province (Arnott A land reclamation law in Indiana came 1950). about in 1941 (the second one in the nation). Kentucky came out with a land reclamation act Probably the 1950's and 1960's were the in 1954, and Illinois passed their first big "growth years" in surface mining land effective law in 1962, after an act passed reclamation - just as it was in surface many years earlier was declared unconstitu- mining afforestation. Following are some tional. highlights of this period: There were numerous common traits among (1) There were about a handful of "ex- the early state land reclamation laws. Both perts" across the country and these people pre-law and during early periods under these all knew each other and, by keeping in close laws, land reclamation and tree planting were communication, they learned from each other's almost synonymous terms. mistakes -- and successes. (2) Development of technology on strip RECLAMATION TECHNOLOGY mine forage establishment brought about op- portunity to choose another land use option. Very little if anything was known ini- It was this fact which caused a sharp decline tially about tree planting methodology on in afforestation in Illinois (Grandt and Lang mine spoils. There was obviously a lot of 1958). guess work; however, it is known that pro- fessional foresters had a hand in some of the very earliest planting projects as early as 1928 (Medvick 1973). Tree "wildlings" were used prior to l~rnott,Donovan, Jr. 1950. Initial availability of nursery grown planting stock. survival of planted hardwoods on strip mine Walnuts were direct seeded possibly because spoil banks of Indiana. Purdue University, there was no tree nursery growing such Dept. of For. Unpublished Thesis. (3) Exposure to repeated failures afforestation on ungraded mine spoils by ap- helped discerning land reclamationists to plication on graded mine spoils, is in for a learn where options were real and where they few surprises. were just imaginary. The trend from affores- tation to forage reclamation in Illinois was Most perplexing of all is the fact that followed in Indiana; however, in Indiana, one can establish an excellent stand one year this did not come about until the late 1960's. and a complete fizzle the very next year on what appears to be and might really be iden- (4) Many thousands of acres of pro- tical spoil. ductive strip mine forests in the E.I.P. stand today as silent monuments to the suc- A "hidden1'problem in dealing with cess of phenomenal growth of strip mine graded mine spoils is the fact that we are afforestation of this period. Afforestation dealing with both cuts and fills and, in any continued as a major land reclamation prac- given spot, we don't know which is the case. tice in Kentucky even beyond the period of One need not be a soils specialist to know extensive grading work which, by law, elim- that amount of site compaction, soil air inated the ridge and valley topography on space and surface water insoak rate may not mine spoils areas. be the same on cuts as it is on fills. How much confounding such factors cause, one can (5) During this time period, the only speculate about. For those who propose science of land reclamation changed a great to do research on graded spoils, in order to deal; however, field conditions -- the overcome confounding caused by cut and fill spoils being planted -- changed very little, differences, this writer advises designing until the late 1960's. plots and rows long enough to overlap both site types and to orient rows at right angles (6) Early land reclamation laws in to original spoil ridges. This would avoid, the E.I.P. required some minor grading for example, comparing a row planted on a fill work -- but not enough to change site con- with a row planted on a cut. ditions. This fact helped a great deal to perfect afforestation practices with minimal Graded spoils, if not too rocky, can be confounding. planted with a specially adapted tree planting machine; however, use of the planting machine might justify change of tree species. ARRIVAL OF THE BULLDOZER Conifers seem to tolerate graded spoils; In the late 19601s,Kentucky, followed however, in the hardwood region, the idea of by Indiana, enacted legislation calling for having to abandon hardwoods carries a negative elimination of spoil ridges and valleys.