Influence of grading intensity on herbaceous ground cover, erosion, and tree establishment in the southern Appalachians

In the southern Appalachian coalfields of Virginia, southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, the opportunity exists to create productive forests capable of providing good timber management opportunities on surface mined land. Unfortunately, this opportunity is seldom realized, in part because minesoil compaction caused by excessive surface grading hinders tree establishment and long-term tree growth. This five-year study was established in eastern Kentucky to evaluate the effect of several surface grading treatments on minesoil erosion, herbaceous ground cover development, and tree survival and growth. Three grading treatments were each replicated three times on a 40% slope. The treatments were (1) the operational {open_quotes}intensive{close_quotes} grading practice used by the operator, (2) a more {open_quotes}moderate{close_quotes} grading, and (3) a {open_quotes}ripped{close_quotes} treatment that created a rough surface. During the course of the study, the intensive graded treatment had the greatest erosion and the poorest ground cover development and tree growth. This traditional practice of intensive surface grading to create a smooth surface is not only unnecessarily expensive but, as this study clearly indicates, compaction caused by grading can have detrimental effects for environmental quality (erosion) and forest productivity. When forestry is the post-mining land use, grading practices should be minimized to leave minesoil inmore » a loose condition to reduce erosion and increase tree growth.« less