This book collects and summarizes current scientific knowledge concerning coal-mined landscapes of the Appalachian region in eastern United States. Containing contributions from authors across disciplines, the book addresses topics relevant to the region's coal-mining history and its future; its human communities; and the soils, waters, plants, wildlife, and human-use potentials of Appalachia's coal-mined landscapes.

The book provides a comprehensive overview of coal mining's legacy in Appalachia, USA. It book describes the resources of the Appalachian coalfield, its lands and waters, and its human communities - as they have been left in the aftermath of intensive mining, drawing upon peer-reviewed science and other regional data to provide clear and objective descriptions. By understanding the Appalachian experience, officials and planners in other resource extraction- affected world regions can gain knowledge and perspectives that will aid their own efforts to plan and manage for environmental quality and for human welfare.

Appalachia's Coal-Mined Landscapes: Resources and Communities in a New Energy Era will be of use to natural resource managers and scientists within Appalachia and in other world regions experiencing widespread mining, researchers with interest in the region's disturbance legacy, and economic and community planners concerned with Appalachia's future.

Part 1: Introduction to Appalachian Coalfield Landscape and Resources

Appalachian coalfield landscapes, ecosystems, and economy
Geology and mineral resources
Coal Mining and Reclamation in Appalachia
Part 2: Land
Landscape Alteration
Mine soils
Hydrology
Terrestrial plant communities
Terrestrial wildlife
Management options for mining-affected landscapes
Underground mining
Part 3: Water
Acid drainage: Origins, effects, and treatment
Other water contaminants
Aquatic biota and response to mining
Part 4: Human Ecology of Appalachian Mined Landscapes
Cultural & Economic issues
Human Health
Concluding Chapter: Synthesis.