Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

Department

Division of Forestry and Natural Resources

Committee Chair

Shawn Grushecky

Committee Member

Michael Strager

Committee Member

Jamie Schuler

Committee Member

Robert Burns

Abstract

Surface mining can impact land cover, forests, and water quality. Current reclamation strategies include revegetation with herbaceous species due to the ease and speed of cover establishment. Herbaceous and woody biomass crops have been used in various studies to reclaim surface mines and act as an alternative to nonrenewable energy sources. The objectives of this study were to quantify the state of vegetation growth on former surface mines in West Virginia over a 9-year period and identify suitable acreage for bioenergy production. During 2011 to 2020, we found that over 40,000 acres had been converted to forest and 40,000 acres of low vegetation was lost during the time frame. We found that land cover change for forest, low vegetation, and barren changed significantly during the period of 2011 to 2020. Further, the results indicated that approximately 23,000 acres of surface mines in the state were low vegetation cover with 15% or less slope for the study. Of the 23,000 acres, 45% were identified as contiguous areas of 10 acres or more. Therefore, reclamation and/or restoration of these lands with bioenergy crops could provide significant feedstocks for bioenergy development projects in the region.

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