Plant succession on Missouri strip-mined land
Authors:   , Leftwich Virginia Powers 
Published: December 2023

There are many agencies which create successional areas--water, as flood or glacier; wind, as hurricane or tornado; volcanic activity, as ash or lava flow; or man, as seeker of energy sources, lumbering or mining. It is believed that all disturbed areas recover in a predictable direction toward a climax community. Though the rate of recovery varies from a period of days to a period of centuries, the manner in which the climax community reasserts itself is essentially the same the world over. Land disturbance by natural agencies has always been accepted as one of those things which had to be tolerated because it was not under man's jurisdiction, but land disturbance by man himself is a matter of choice. This "choice" has become the focal point of bitter controversy on one of man's earth-disturbing activities--strip-mining for coal. This study takes a look at a half century of natural succession on land from which bituminous coal has been extracted by area-mining methods in western Missouri. It seeks to answer such questions as: Is there evidence of natural recovery? Are there recognizable seral stages? What physiographic and edaphic factors are encountered? How does productivity change with time? Does it appear feasible that any of these factors be altered by man? It is pertinent that such questions be asked and answered in view of the fact that our society is now making an unprecedented energy demand--a requirement that undoubtedly wi11 intensify as petroleum sources near their depletion. One has only to look at available statistics to see the trend in the use of surface-mined coal. Whereas in 1940 it provided only 9.4 percent of all coal production, only thirty years later, in 1970, it supplied 44 percent. Each year around 150,000 acres are stripped. It is estimated that by 1980 more than 5 million acres of land wi11 have been stripped, and that the rate of such mining wi11 be some 280,000 acres per year (Siehl, 1972). Those who are alarmed at these figures react in various ways, ranging from the unrealistic view that all surface mining should be abolished to the equally unrealistic view that the economic situation calls for unregulated mining at the fastest possible rate. The furor has been of such intensity that legislators have felt compelled to act but, unfortunately, have reacted, that is, such, regulations as have been adopted are often harassing and punitive in nature and have not been based on competent research. "Blanket" legislation does not take into account regional differences that must be considered if reclamation efforts are to be effective. The mining industry deserves better marks than our lawmakers when it comes to supporting research and applying the findings. In fact, of the voluminous literature on strip-mining the greater part of that which has value is the work of such groups as the Central States Forest Experiment Station and other federal, state, and private agencies who made their studies in response to a call for help from mining companies that were attempting to reclaim land (Limstrom, 1960). It is hoped that this study will make some contribution to those charged with the responsibility for restoration of disturbed lands.