THE FORESTRY RECLAMATION APPROACH: MEASURING SEDIMENT MASS ACCUMULATION RATES IN RECLAIMED MINE LANDS AND NATURALLY REGENERATED LOGGED FORESTS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY

With the arrival of Europeans coal mining and timber production spread throughout the old growth forests of Appalachia. These disturbances have led to a decrease in biological diversity (i.e., plants and animals), soil and water quality, and changes in atmospheric composition due to reduced carbon sequestration. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) was developed to decrease overall recovery time for reclaimed mine lands and logging sites. This study hypothesizes that the FRA will result in larger magnitude sediment mass accumulation rates (SMAR) in reclaimed mine lands and logged sites as compared to those reclaimed using grassland reclamation. Three sediment cores were taken and three trenches were sampled within the Troublesome Creek drainage basin of eastern Kentucky. All samples were processed for radionuclide dating, grain-size, stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C), and particulate organic carbon (POC). Lidar data were used to identify valley fills near sampling sites, while historical aerial photography will be used to identify changes in vegetative cover. Radionuclide dating was used to determine SMARs over approximately 100 years. Preliminary results indicate that there has been a decrease in the magnitude of SMARs at sites where the FRA has been implemented, as opposed to areas with grassland reclamation. Overall, sediment accumulation rates have decreased over time for logged sites, while areas that were mined show large magnitude increases within the last 60 years.