For 25 years, he oversaw the process that may represent humans’ best attempt to date at total annihilation of land: strip-mining and mountaintop-removal mining of coal… Angel, born and raised in the same eastern Kentucky mountains that have been devastated by mining, has spent the rest of his career undoing the damage.
“The Green Miles,” Washington Post 2.13.20
On February 13, the Washington Post featured an extensive profile of Patrick Angel, who co-founded the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI) within the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). The article tells the story of the Forest Reclamation Approach developed by Angel and his ARRI colleagues, now the preferred method used in reclaimed mineland reforestation projects across the eastern U.S.
PEC is a proud partner in ARRI, working with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Green Forests Work, and others to restore healthy woodlands in state forests.
To see how we apply the Forest Reclamation Approach, check out the video: