Jointly presented by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, the award ceremony took place on May 23 in Holden, West Virginia; reforestation at Whitman, also known as Trace Fork surface mine, began in 2007.
“We believe integrity in environmental stewardship helps build a better business,” said Alpha President Paul Vining. “We are proud of the Alex Energy team, who demonstrated how land can be fully restored through proper reforestation.”
Reforestation efforts, according to company officials, followed ARRI’s Forestry Reclamation criteria, including planting of trees native to the region at specific seedling rates and mixtures to maximize survivability. In all, some 100,000 seedlings have been planted across 150 acres, including 22 different species with high survival rates up to 90%.
