TREMONT - Thousands of tree seedlings will be planted this week on land that was used for coal mining in Tremont Township.
It's part of the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative and the Schuylkill Headwaters Association is looking for volunteers to help with the effort to improve the environment and reclaim coal mine land at the Michael Coal Co. Inc.
The effort is to "encourage mine operators to replant forest," Bill Reichert, president of Schuylkill Headwaters, said of ARRI.
The land is owned by the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority, he said.
"All of this was mined at one point," Kirk Klinger, manager at the site, said Thursday.
In all, 8,000 seedlings, each about 18 inches tall, will be planted on 11 acres of the approximately 100-acre site.
About five acres of the site are still actively used for strip mining, Klinger said.
The coal company has been mining the land for 10 years.
"We're required to have trees planted. Obviously, this is a good thing for us ..." he said.
The state Department of Environmental Protection requires 400 trees be planted per acre when the land is disturbed, Klinger said.
This the is fifth year for the effort by Schuylkill Headwaters. The trees were donated by the Green Forest Works, a nonprofit based in Kentucky.
The company's goal is to reforest mine lands, according to its website at www.greenforestworks.com.
The company received a grant from the Hardwood Forest Foundation, a nonprofit based in Memphis, Tenn., for the trees.
About 20 volunteers from the area have expressed interest in volunteering, Reichert said.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday, weather permitting, the oak, maple, aspen, white pine and dogwood trees will be planted on the land that also has grasses that were planted about three years ago. In the event of inclement weather, the planting will be done later this spring.
Those interested in volunteering should call Sierra Gladfelter, Schuylkill Headwaters outreach coordinator, at 570-573-2093 or email her at outreach@schuylkillheadwaters.org. The deadline is Thursday afternoon.
Lunch will be provided. Volunteers should wear appropriate clothing such as boots. Equipment will be provided.
Reichert said volunteers should bring their own gloves.
Volunteers previously planted trees at the site.
"We planted 26 acres two years ago," Reichert said, adding those trees now are about two feet tall now.
Usually the volunteers plant about 2,000 seedlings each time they do the tree planting as part of the initiative, according to Reichert.
To date, 37,000 trees have been planted of ARRI, he said.
Last year, volunteers planted trees on land formerly used by Mountaintop Coal Mining Inc. near the Schuylkill County Joe Zerbey Airport.