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RECLAMATION MEANS A GOOD RESEEDING PROGRAM
Environmental article by Harold Hough Dec/Jan 2009

Reseeding is more than a way to cover bare dirt. When done in a positive and creative way, reseeding and reclamation can help win community support and stop the environmentalists in their tracks.
Peabody Coal used reseeding as a way to reach out to the local Indian community by reintroducing traditional plants that had become scarce. They contacted local Indian medicine men and herbalists and, with their help, identified plants that were considered critical to Indian heritage. These programs also have an added benefit of eroding a traditional base for environmental opposition. By promising to use the mining project to bring back some lost Indian culture, you can actually gain the support of some community leaders who might otherwise oppose your mine while preventing the environmental groups from gaining traction.

Unfortunately, nature is fickle when it comes to reclamation. There are Roman mines over two thousand years ago that still show the scars of mining while some mines from America’s Western mining history that are virtually invisible because nature has erased any signs of man’s work. Usually, however, nature reclaims all mines. Vegetation from the surrounding land will invade the abandoned mine site and wildlife will start making its home there. In some cases, the cleared land will actually help encourage some species that normally have difficulty establishing themselves in a crowded ecosystem. However, government regulators aren’t willing to let nature take its course and insist we help it along with a reclamation project. That’s where a good reseeding program comes in.

Although mining companies have to deal with the uncertainties of temperature, rainfall, sunshine, and any other number of uncontrollable natural factors, they can improve the chances that the vegetation will germinate and thrive. According to reclamation experts and reseeding companies, there are several ways to get the most from your reseeding program and help nature along at the same time. Here are some of their suggestions.

DON’T FORGET THE MULCH. Mulch is critical for protecting the seed, stopping soil erosion and promoting faster germination. However, the type of mulch used has an impact on the overall success of the reclamation program. According to experts, the type of mulch used can affect maintenance costs and the amount of time it takes to reseed an area. For instance, wood mulch has long fibers that often cause the spraying equipment to clog up and increase wear. Paper mulch, on the other hand costs no more, but doesn’t cause the clogging and wear problems. It also sticks better to the ground and draws moisture from the ground to enhance germination.

PLANT VEGETATION ADAPTED TO THE SITE. Environmental considerations like soil type, rainfall, and climate are critical in the success of the project. In the East, where there is adequate rain and plant matter decomposes, simply reseeding the land will start the land on the road to recovery. However, in the Southwest, the arid climate inhibits plant growth and even prevents plants from decomposing and enriching the soil. In cases like that, just simply picking plants indigenous to the region may not be enough. The type of plants can vary based on the way the slope faces or the type of soil in a particular area. For instance, one mine bordering the mountains and desert needed plants that could weather the dry heat of the desert while withstanding the bitter cold that would often blow out of the mountains. Fortunately, seed supply companies offer hundreds of types of seeds and can offer a mix ideal for your specific area.
You can also introduce a new species. If an invasive weed that has pushed out the native species dominates the area, the introduction of a new species can counter the dominant species and give the native plants a chance to regain a foothold.

FOCUS ON BUYING QUALITY SEED. When buying seed, pay attention to “Pure Live Seed” (PLS). This is a measure used by the seed industry to describe the purity and percentage of seed that will germinate from that product. For instance, a seed product that is only 75% pure and only has a 60% germination factor has a PLS of 45% while a product with a 95% purity and 80% germination will have a 76% PLS. That means that if former product costs $3 a pound and the latter product costs $4.50, the latter product is still the better buy.

Experts tell us that purity also can have an effect on the reseeding because some of the impurity can consist of weed seeds, which could take over and choke the plants you are trying to grow. In other cases, the weeds may be specifically excluded from some states. Consequently, the value per PLS isn’t the only criteria if an impure product produces too many weeds that threaten your project.

PLANT AT THE RIGHT TIME OF THE YEAR. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to giving the seed the greatest chance of surviving. Since many plants can grow in many different climates, it’s important to pick the right time for your specific climate. In brittle environments like the desert Southwest, the window of opportunity may only be a few weeks long, so it’s important to have your contractor lined up before hand and be able to move when the time is right.

DON’T IGNORE WATER. This is just as critical as planting at the right time. In desert regions, much of the plant germination and growth is loaded into a few weeks of heavy rain. During the rest of the time, plants are merely storing their energy for the next rain-induced sprout of growth.

If you don’t provide enough water, plants will restrict their growth and many seedlings, which have few reserves to draw from, could die. The result is that your germination rate will drop. In the end, the desire to save a few hundred dollars in watering costs could scuttle thousands of dollars in valuable reseeding.