Ohio Coal Mine site prior to reclamation	Problem: Strip-mined areas, gob piles and industrial mineral waste sites were barren and eroded with a mixture of bench slopes and out slopes of 2:1 or steeper. Soils were highly acidic (pH 2.9 to 3.4) without adequate stabilizing vegetation. Erosion caused off-site sedimentation of drainage. Special Client Concerns: Low-cost, low-maintenance reclamation method needed. Most areas not eligible for traditional reclamation techniques under federal abandoned mineland guidelines.
Ohio Coal Mine site after initial planting	Objective: To effectively revegetate and reforest seriously degraded lands for the lowest cost and least maintenance possible. PHC-REC Natural Systems Solutions: PHC-REC experts selected an ectomycorrihizal fungus,Pisolithus tinctorius (Pt), for use in the revegetation project.  This unique fungus is ecologically adapted to adverse and hostile soils.  Tree seedling species that matched the site were inoculated with the Pt in a nursery prior to planting.
Ohio Coal Mine site after reclamation project	Results: Since 1981, the program has planted 5 million seedlings having Pt ectomycorrhizae with at least an 85% survival rate on nearly 3,000 acres of abandoned strip-mines in southern Ohio. About 200 acres each year are now successfully reclaimed using the mycorrhizal fungal technology.  Although these sites contain highly stressed and low fertility soils (available phosphorus less than 1 ppm), overall tree growth continues to be exceptional even without fertilization or lime.