FINANCIAL COST TO LANDOWNERS ASSOCIATED WITH FORESTLAND CONVERSION TO NON-PRODUCTIVE USES IN THE PROCESS OF SURFACE MINING

摘要

Public Law 95-87, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), mandates that mined land be reclaimed to its pre-mining use, and in a fashion that renders the land at least as productive after mining as it was before mining. According to SMCRA requirements, mine operators are responsible for reclaiming mined land. Until recently, mine operators commonly reclaimed previously forested land to hayland/pasture or wildlife habitat. Most of these lands have been abandoned from management and rendered non-productive. This left the landowner with the option or necessity of converting these reclaimed mined lands to forests at a later stage, in order to make them economically viable. Such a land-use conversion, however, comes at a substantial cost to the landowner, which makes the financial feasibility of such a conversion a questionable issue. This paper examines the economic implications of this shift in reforestation burden from the landowner to the mine operator. Results suggest that the reforestation of mined lands as part of the mining operation creates a viable and profitable forest enterprise for landowners.