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Coal and the National Forests
The connection between the U.S. Forest Service and the coal industry dates to the early days of the Agency. The passage of the Weeks Act of 1911 provided the authority for the federal government to purchase denuded and eroded private lands to create National Forests. Spurred by the loss of forests cleared for fuel wood, the legislation offered the opportunity to restore lands, which coincidentally, were frequently located in the coal producing areas of the Eastern U.S. Coal mining had existed in this region since the Colonial era, but coal production accelerated as the fuel wood supply was depleted. Replacing wood with coal for fuel contributed to the permanent reforestation of large tracts of land acquired under the Weeks Act.
Coal production continues to this day in the Appalachian forests of the East. Because of its value as an energy mineral, coal was often retained by the private land owners when the government purchased the surface rights, resulting in a mixture of federal and private mineral rights ownership. Where coal mining is occurring or proposed on or under what have become National Forest lands, the Agency and the industry work together to provide for responsible environmental safeguards and best management practices to ensure the sustainability of these restored forested lands.
The U.S. is entirely self sufficient in coal, and in 2009, 19% of our domestic coal production was extracted from National Forest lands. This amounts to approximately 224 million short tons of coal, valued at $6.25 billion, creating over $500 million in royalty returns to the U.S. Treasury. This is the largest return to the Treasury of any Forest Service program and represents an important multiple use value from these lands.
Coal production on National Forest System lands has expanded westward over time to include vast deposits found in eastern Montana and eastern Wyoming, and even in Alaska. Of particular note is the significant coal deposit underlying the Thunder Basin National Grasslands, a part of the Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming. This region has been producing coal for a number of years and is the scene of some extraordinary mine land restoration.
Tthe coal industry has reclaimed 5,000 acres of National Forests and Grasslands in several western states to benefit public health, wildlife habitat, water quality and recreation. Arch Coal created Pronghorn Lake on 59 acres of reclaimed lands at Black Thunder mine, which is within the Thunder Basin National Grasslands. This water source benefits a variety of waterfowl and wildlife and will become a public recreation area.
Southern Company and conservation groups launched the Longleaf Legacy Program in 2004. The ten-year commitment is the largest public agency-private corporation conservation funding effort for this ecosystem. The program helps restore the South’s stately longleaf pine ecosystem, with the added benefit of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Longleaf pine forests once carpeted 95 million acres of the southern United States. Today, less than 3 percent remains.
The story of coal highlights the U.S. Forest Service’s unique mandate, set by the first Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot, to serve “the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time.” The economic, social, environmental and policy decisions related to coal production and the National Forest System lands over the past 100 years demonstrate how this “multiple use” philosophy has guided the nation’s approach to public lands and their key role in the development and growth of the country.
The National Museum of Forest Service will be sharing this story of multiple use conservation with the public. View the Museum's video presented to National Coal Council members in October 2011.
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