Eastern Deciduous Forests; if you are like me, this is probably your first time hearing about them, despite them highly globally ranked for biodiversity. This combined with the 22 species of oak alone in Kentucky starts to show how biodiverse some eastern regions of Kentucky are. On June 13 we learned from Professor Dr. Sarah Hall about Eastern Kentucky Regions, biodiversity, and mountaintop removal.
One of the first things discussed on June 13 was the implications of mountaintop removal or surface mining. Usually forests recover relatively quickly from destruction. However these styles of mining extend the process drastically from the usual healing period of a few hundred years for it to be fully recovered, to possibly thousands depending on the forest.
These forests are more biodiverse than most of the country. This begs the question of what will be done to the people with ownership and responsibility of the land. We are attempting to find resources that will effectively help these owners manage the land they have ownership over.
Leave a Reply