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ABOUT ARRI
The Appalachian
Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI) is a coalition of groups, including
citizens, the coal industry, and
government,
dedicated to restoring forests on coal mined lands in the
Eastern United States.
ARRI
was established in early 2004 with the formation of the
Core Team.
The Core Team's responsibilities include outreach, trainings,
event planning, monthly meetings to discuss progress reports and
new strategies, among other things.
One of the Core Team's
first missions was to develop a
Statement of
Mutual Intent in order to clarify the goals of the initiative and to
make a pledge between the Core Team Members and new
partners to promote the re-establishment of forestland on mine
sites in Appalachia.
Then in March of 2005 the
ARRI
Science Team was formed (Please
note: The Science Team was formerly known as the Academic
Team and may still be referred to as such on older ARRI
publications). The Science Team is comprised of
individuals active in forestry research from across the
country, including Academia, Soil Scientists, Plant Biologists,
Foresters, and others whose function is to improve the science behind ARRI.
ARRI advocates using a technique known as the
Forestry Reclamation Approach, or FRA, to plant trees on
reclaimed coal mined lands.
Highly productive
forestland can be created on reclaimed mine lands under
existing laws and regulations by using
the
Forestry Reclamation Approach.
Contact a
Core Team representative
for your State to determine how best to incorporate the FRA
into your postmining land use plan.
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Remove Existing Barriers
ARRI seeks to change the existing Cultural, Technical, and Regulatory
barriers surrounding the forestry reclamation of coal mined
lands.
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Cultural – change the
perception that tree planting is more expensive and risky
than conventional reclamation, provide education on the
impacts of compaction and change the perception of what good
forestry reclamation should look like
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Technical – eliminate excessive surface compaction, ground
cover competition, and inappropriate growth medium; plant
high value hardwood trees
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Regulatory - change the perception that regulations impede
effective reforestation techniques and interfere with bond
release
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GOALS OF THE
INITIATIVE
- Plant more high-value hardwood
trees on reclaimed coal mined lands
in Appalachia;
- Increase the survival rates and
growth rates of planted trees;
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Expedite the establishment of forest habitat through natural
succession
ARRI IS A COOPERATIVE EFFORT AMONG:
The
States of Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
Virginia, and West Virginia; the Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement; their partners in industry;
environmental organizations; academia; local, State and Federal
government agencies; and private landowners.
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