WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. — The University of the Cumberlands has joined several conservation organizations to convert surface-mined land into forestlands just outside of Williamsburg in Kentucky.
Officials said the property has been cleared of unwanted vegetation and cross-ripped to loosen the soil to produce a better rooting medium for trees and flowering plants.
More than 73,000 native-specie seedlings have been hand-planted across 100 acres, according to a press release.
The project was part of a Cumberland Plateau Stewardship Fund grant awarded to the Green Forest Works (GFW), Kentucky Office of Nature Preserves, and other partners by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Other project partners include the Arbor Day Foundation, the Lemmon Foundation, the US Forest Service, the Kentucky Division of Forestry, the Shortleaf Pine Initiative, etc.
The goal is to restore the forest habitat that was present on the site prior to surface mining so it can eventually blend in with neighboring, unmined forest life, officials said.
Officials said the site is near the Daniel Boone National Forest and provides a good setting for reestablishing forests on lands affected by surface mining. This site was mined more than 30 years ago.
