BIRCH RIVER – Approximately 100 students from area elementary and high schools, as well as West Virginia University joined the staff of the ICG Eastern Mining Complex in Webster County Thursday for the company’s 5th annual Arbor Day Celebration.
Students and staff planted several hundred trees on land currently being restored after being surface mined. According to Keith O’Dell, of ICG Eastern, the trees included a mix of native species as well as the American Chestnut blight-resistant hybrid.“Celebrating Arbor Day has become a tradition for us here,” O’Dell said. “The management of ICG Eastern looks forward to this event each year.”
ICG Eastern is a great example of the type of exceptional work the coal industry does in restoring land once mining is completed. According to O’Dell, [removed "over"] students and visitors have planted more than 2,000 trees during previous Arbor Day events. Meanwhile, the company plants about 100,000 trees on the site each year. Approximately 80 percent of the trees planted will go on to long and healthy lives, quickly restoring the area to its natural state.
ICG Eastern is composed of two surface mines and an underground mine currently under development, as well as a preparation plant and railroad loadout. It is a subsidiary of International Coal Group, based in Teays Valley.