The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI) Webinar Series

Appalachia’s Forests: From Reforestation to a Growing Recreation Economy

by Rike Rothenstein, Senior Research Associate, ReImagine Appalachia 

In the fall of 2023, Appalachian Voices, ReImagine Appalachia, National Wildlife Federation, and the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center hosted a two part webinar about the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI) and its success in establishing healthy native forests on former mine sites. You can learn more about part one of the webinar series, its inspiring speakers and the stories they share about the beginning, the continued success and the future potential of ARRI in our previous blog post [link].

This blog post gives you a summary of the amazing presentations we heard during part two of the webinar series. To view the recording of this webinar, please check here.  

In part two, Bringing Native Plants Back to Mine Lands: Community Voices and Case Studies, attendees learned from community stakeholders sharing their firsthand experience in how mine revegetation and reforestation can work, how forestry nursery management operates, and the regional economic impacts of reforestation initiatives.

The first speaker of the webinar was ARRI forester Cliff Drouet who is with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). Cliff introduced several benefits provided by forests, from water filtration to being an economic driver for rural communities. This is especially true for Central Appalachia and its declining coal industry. Here, reclamation work offers job opportunities, as bulldozer operators are needed to prep former mine sites for reforestation. The reforestation work also needs tree planters and an increased use of local nurseries which provide further development options for the local economy. Cliff and other OSMRE employees oversee reforestation projects, from mine site preparation to tree planting. They also educate volunteers and school children who learn and help with tree planting efforts. Finally, Cliff discussed various funding sources for ARRI. These include the USDA EQIP program, Regional Conservation Partnership Program, National Wild Turkey Federation, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, since ARRI has no federally appropriated funding.      
The webinar’s second speaker, Gary Conley from the non-profit organization Rural Action, takes us to East Fork Duck Creek Watershed in southeast Ohio. In 1985, the USDA listed East Fork Duck Creek as the “worst watershed in the state of Ohio” for erosion rates and total erosion, and the fourth worst in Ohio overall. Today, the watershed is in much better condition, not based on major remediation efforts but through natural succession. Gary’s analysis showed that soil electrical conductivity, which is often elevated at mine sites, positively correlates with vegetative cover. This tells us that the soil’s conductivity might not be an obstacle for vegetation to grow. Another finding showed that rocky soils (not “tombstones” but smaller rocks) are beneficial to tree growth. The size of the former mine site correlated negatively with natural recovery; that is, larger mine sites don’t show as healthy of a native plant regrowth as smaller mine sites. All those results help inform ongoing revegetation efforts in this region, especially for larger mine sites. Intentional reforestation can complement and enhance the process of natural succession.

Recent planting projects with Rural Action, marking off sections for different vegetation types. Photo Credit: Rural Action, as shared in ARRI webinar.

The webinar’s third speaker was Sam Felton who is the mayor of the Town of Marlinton, a small community in the Monongahela Forest in West Virginia. After briefly talking about the area’s timber history, Mayor Felton turned to the present and future of Marlinton and Pocahontas County and its embrace of the recreation economy. Hiking, skiing, and biking are growing, bringing more and more visitors to the area. Mayor Felton uses the nearby Snowshoe Bike Park as an example for growth opportunities. During the summer months, the ski resort turns into a mountain bike park, which will soon be connected to a 27-mile mountain biking trail system funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Investments like these help to establish Pocahontas County as a world-renown biking destination. Along with outdoor recreation also comes a music festival, fun nature-themed educational events for kids, and the establishment of 16 new businesses in Marlinton in just the last two years. However, this rapid economic development is not without drawbacks. More visitors brought more short-term rentals and Marlinton is now experiencing a housing shortage. The recreation economy offers many exciting opportunities to Pocahontas County and beyond, but there is still a need to get it right for visitors and residents to make it a long-term success.

Annual open house in Marlinton at the water plant teaches youth the connection between the forest and water resources. Photo Credit: Sam Felton, as shared in ARRI webinar.

The last speaker of the webinar series, Josh Nease, Executive Director of Mon Forest Towns, picked up where Mayor Felton left off discussing West Virginia’s growing outdoor recreation economy at large. The Monongahela Forest, often shortened to the Mon, encompasses nearly 1 million acres of national forest in the north-central highlands of West Virginia. The Mon Forest Towns organization began forming in 2017 based on the need to revitalize the region’s declining economy and to harness the potential of tourism and outdoor recreation for economic growth. The organization’s mission is to collaboratively grow a strong, sustainable recreation economy that enhances the quality of life for residents and visitors by providing the best outdoor experience. Today, twelve forest towns are part of the organization, whose role is to facilitate collaboration among the towns and with many other partner organizations, such as universities and government agencies. The organization uses this collaborative power when leveraging resources for all twelve towns instead of just one or two. That way, the towns can share costs in regard to marketing, they can team up on grant proposals, or collaborate when developing trails as seen with the above mentioned mountain bike trail system. The goal of Mon Forest Towns is to work together, to grow a strong regional outdoor recreation economy, all while keeping the unique character of each town alive.

All four presentations exemplified once more that ecological and economic benefits can go hand in hand in Appalachia. In the first half of the webinar, Chris Drouet and Gary Conley told stories about the remarkable restoration of former mine lands. In the second half, Sam Felton and Josh Nease’s presentations illustrated how a healthy and beautiful forest offers much potential for a growing outdoor recreation economy. They all tell the story of a resilient Appalachia with a bright future for all yet to come.