GRUNDY, VA (APRIL 25, 2024) -- Ninth grade students in Buchanan County planted some 1,000 trees on a Wellmore Coal Company permitted coal mine site near Grundy on Thursday to mark the celebration of Arbor Day 2024.
The event was hosted by the Metallurgical Coal Producers Association (MCPA), Virginia Energy, Wellmore Coal Company, The Nature Conservancy, the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE), the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
Additional support was received from United Coal, Jennmar, Ramaco, SunCoke Energy, Joseph and Haley Bunn, Alpha Natural Resources, Simmons Equipment, Roger Nicholson and Frank B. Harrington.
Approximately 150 students from Grundy, Council and Hurley High schools took part in the early Arbor Day celebration and in the process learned a little more about reclamation processes and tree planting before heading back to the Grundy Town Center for lunch and to visit energy-related educational booths set up by the event hosts in the United Training Center building at the Town Center.
Trees planted across three acres included red and white oak, maple, locust, dogwood, persimmon, apple and pine trees.
“Arbor Day, which is traditionally celebrated on April 26, has a rich history dating back to the 1800s,” said MCPA Chairman Bob Cline, Coronado Global Resources. “It was officially proclaimed in 1874 in Nebraska and by 1920, more than 45 states and territories were celebrating Arbor Day. The tree planting tradition became prominent in schools across the nation in 1882 and has continued. Today, Arbor Day is celebrated in all 50 states.
“We celebrated a day early to accommodate scheduling for those involved in the Buchanan County event,” he added. “MCPA was pleased to be a host of the celebration along with our other partners, coal producers, suppliers and supporters in the area and to take the opportunity to draw attention to reclamation efforts that go on in our industry every day.”
Virginia Energy officials noted that since Virginia’s Arbor Day celebration began in 2005, more than 12,000 trees have been planted on nearly 45 acres of mined land. They also added the event meets goals of the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative which is dedicated to restoring forests on coal mined lands in the Eastern United States.
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PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Ninth grade students in Buchanan County planted trees in celebration of Arbor Day Thursday. Students planted some 1,000 trees on a Wellmore Coal Company permitted coal mine site near Grundy. The event was hosted by the Metallurgical Coal Producers Association (MCPA), Virginia Energy, Wellmore Coal Company, The Nature Conservancy, the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE), the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
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