PAGE EIGHT
Strip Mines Beautified
By Foresters Planting
Mother Nat! re is getting a face-lifting job thanks to forestry researchers at the Uni-
versity
Lands left raw and ugly by strip mining operations are now being dressed up and
beautified through experiments being conducted by the School of Forestry.
In cooperation with the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station of the United States
Forest Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, they are giving
old "Mom Nature" a helping
hand in restoring vegetation on
land denuded by strip mining op
erations.
The experiments, in the bi
tuminous coal fields of central
and western Pennsylvania, are
located as close as Snow Shoe
and Philipsburg and as far
away as Pittsburgh.
They were begun more than 10
years ago under the direction of
Dr W. C. Bramble, then acting
cluector of the School of Fores
try. When he resigned this sum
mer to become head of the De
partment of Forestry at Purdue
Univeisity, his job was taken
over by William R. Brynes, in
structor in forestry, who had
been associated with the project
since 1952.
The experiments consist mostly
of planting different species of
tree and shrubs on the spoil piles
(piles of dii t and rocks left
through strip mining operations).
and checking their growth per
iodically.
The problem of waste land
left by strip mining has been
around since the Civil War, but
before World War I strip min
ing did not expose tremendous
amounts of land. There were
plantings on some of these
areas and some trees just grew
again of their own accord.
World War 11, however, brought
n great demand for coal Strip
mining expanded, and with new
and bigger machinery available
more and more land was torn up
and denuded.
University research, which be
gan in 1946, received its impetus
from the Bituminous Coal Open
Pit Mining Conservation Act
passed by the state legislature
in 1945 The law requires coal
operators to level the strip mine
sites and to revegetate with trees,
shrubs or gi asses.
In 1946 and 1947 a series of
23 test plantings were b e g u n.
Researchers first went out into
the fields and classified spoil
bank material from geological
findings. They wanted to know
the actual soil content of the
piles. The big question was—
was there any soil?
They measured the moisture
content of the piles, the acidity,
the water relations, the tempera
tures of the surface, the evapora
tion and the wind movement.
There's more than meets the eye
to planting a tree.
They found that the newer
areas of strip mining operations
were suitable for plant and tree
growth and then moved on to
elder areas. Here they investi
gated what was growing already
to gain hints as to what would
grow in the future.
Once plantings had been estab
lished, the big question was—
what season was the best for
planting—spring or fall'
"In general," said Byrnes,
"the spring plantings were
more successful. However, cer
tain species had better survival
when planted in the fall."
At first the trees were eval
uated every three years to de
termine early survival and
RESPONSIBLE STUDENTS TO CALL ON
FRATERNITIES, SORORITIES, AND
RESIDENCE HALLS TO DEMONSTRATE
AND SELL DAILY USED PRODUCT.
EARN $lOO TO $2OO EXTRA A MONTH.
WRITE FOR DETAILS
FOR IMMEDIATE START.
P.O. BOX 497,
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growth. A more complete eval
uation was made after five years,
and this summer a 10-year eval
uation will be begun.
Results of these evaluations
have shown that the best kind
of soft wood for trees for spoil
bank cover seems to be Banks
pine, pitch pine, white pine, red
pine and Japanese larch.
Promising hardwoods include
black locust, white ask and red
oak.
In 1949 and 1950 a study was
started to see how quickly na
ture alone would revegetate
the stripped areas. A few of the
early invaders were aspen, red
maple, fire cherry, poverty
grass and dewberry.
In the course of their studies,
researchers also found that some
of the stripped areas can be re
claimed for farm lands. With
proper fertilization and care the
usual crop rotation of corn, oats,
etc., can be grown again. Some
areas have already been re
claimed for farm land.
The researchers now plan to
extend operations to cover large
scale commercial plantings They
will evaluate the success of these
plantings and make recommen
dations to industry. Additional
.hydrological studies and studies
,of the nutrient status of the spoil
;material are also planned.
Graduates
Will Help
Handicapped
Thirteen graduate students at
i
the University are enrolled in al
15-month program in rehabilita-,
tion counselor work with the i
physically, emotionally and men
tally handicapped.
This program was made possi
ble through a $41,740 grant from,
the Office of Vocational Rehabili
tation of the U.S, Department of;
Health, Education and Welfare.
The program at the University,
directed by Dr. Kenneth W. Hyl
bert, began in 1956.
The jobs are awarded to the
students on the basis of high aca
demic ability, related experience
and interest in this field of work.'
Institutes for the training of re
habilitation counselors are held
on campus under the auspices of
the project.
For the fall semester the fol
lowing Pennsylvania students
have been given grants of $2OO
or more a month:
Cornelis Adamchak, James
Bealer, Alan Deibler, Brooke Dil
lard, Ronald Faris, Malcolm Han
non, William Herbein, Rhett
Mc-
Griff, Donald Nair, John Saylor,
Ross Steadman, Ernest Tamburri
and Frank Williams.
WANTED
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA
Young GOP
Offers Work
In Politics
The Young Republicans of Cen
tre County offer students the op
portunity to learn the ins and
outs of political campaigning.
It is a national organization
which attempts to prepare its
members for political work on a
national, state or local level.
The group takes an active part
in the political campaigns of its
party.
The members plan their own
campaigns, which include every
thing from, helping at the polls
to attending dinners and conven
tions. They usually work in close
connection with the senior organ
ization,
The individual groups are not
always composed entirely of stu
dents. The members' ages range
from 18 to 36.
The Centre County delegation
to the state convention in Erie
this past summer was the only
all-college group.
National and state conventions
are held in alternate years. The
national convention for 1959 will
be held in Denver, Colo. next
summer.
David West, chairman of the
Young Republicans of Centre
County and of the University
chapter. said the downtown cam
paign headquarters wou l d be
opening around Oct. 1.
Chapel Vesper Services
Will Begin Thursday
Vesper services of worship will
be held in the Helen Eakin Eisen
hower chapel at 4:15 p.m. each
Monday and Thursday beginning
this week.
The liturgies of the various re
ligious traditions will provide the
framework of worship. Organ and
choral music of each tradition
will be provided.
The Dhanna Bums
Two excited young men search for DHARMA or Truth in
this latest novel by Jack Kerouac, who first introduced the Beat
Generation in On the Road. The Beat Generation is the present
generation of men who will sacrifice anything for security. This
search involves the men, together and separately, in a series of
free-wheeling explorations written with the same humor and
contagious zest for life that sparked the earlier novel. Only $3.95
We have paper-bound copies of Steinbeck's GRAPES OF WRATH!
The PENNSYLVANIA BOOK SHOP
129 Weat Beaver Ave.
State College. Pa.
Community Livi
(Continued from page five)
first floor. Undergraduate stu
dents are not allowed in the
stacks. Any books they may need
from the stacks can be secured
by filling out a call card and
giving it to a librarian.
For students who cannot find
sufficient material in the read
ing rooms, a reference de
partment is located on the sec
ond floor of the library. A per
iodicals reading room is also
located on this floor.
In addition to its regular fea
tures, the library also maintains
an audio-visual aids collection
on the ground floor. Here stu
dents can see and hear educa
tional films, tape recordings and
language and speech records.
On the third floor of the li
brary is the Penn State collec
tion where the history of the
University is chronicled through
clippings, paintings and local
museum pieces.
The services of the Paltee
Library are supplemented by
several smaller libraries on
campus, each pertaining to a
RINGS...
and we're not talking about
Penn State class rings today. This
is a ring especially popular with you
freshmen aid sophomores who can't
get your class rings yet.
We're talking about a' Sterling
Silver ring with the Penn State seal
on it. This popular gift is-now priced
at only $2.75*. : . ,
If you've been admiring these
rings on your classmates, why not
come in tomorrow.
,Ask Jenkins. y to •
show you his complete line of Penn
State jewelry.
*plus tax
by Jack Kerauac
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1958
special school.
This year the library will re
ceive aid in the purchase of books
and manuscripts from the newly
established James Milholland Me
morial Fund. The fund was es
tablished in honor of a former
member and president of the
Board of Trustees.
.Candy
Send an assortment to
your weekend hostess.
We mail anywhere!
e Peanut Brittle
*Nutty Crunch
The
ti andy Cane
- - 1 - 63
"Between the Movies"
L . G . catfotir
Co.
Daily 9 to 9
Sat. 9 to 5:30
in the "A" Store