Geology topics

Christopher D. Barton

Publications and source records attributed to Christopher D. Barton.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2026

Anuran occupancy of created wetlands within reforested legacy surface mines in Kentucky and West Virginia

Restoration of habitat is an important component of wildlife management. Surface coal mining has altered forest cover in the Central Appalachians, and most reclamation activities on previously mined lands result in non-native grasslands or shrub lands. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA), which emphasizes non-native vegetation removal, soil decompaction, planting of native trees and shrubs, and, in some cases, wetland creation represents an alternative to grassland-based reclamation that may promote forest-associated wildlife on legacy surface mines. We used automated recording units to evaluate the response of anurans to created wetlands and the FRA in Kentucky and West Virginia, USA. We used a Bayesian community occupancy model to compare species occupancy and richness across a range of wetland sizes (6.6–252 m 2 ) and 3 site types: 1) younger FRA (1–6 yr), 2) older FRA (7–23 yr), and 3) unmined, mature forests (>100 yr). In addition, we evaluated factors influencing anuran detection probabilities. Mean occupancy and species richness in both states were highest in the younger FRA, suggesting anurans may rapidly colonize wetlands created on restored mines. In Kentucky, occupancy of several species (green frog [ Lithobates clamitans ], pickerel frog [ L. palustris ], and wood frog [ L. sylvaticus ]) was higher in larger created wetlands, but wetland size was not important in West Virginia. Daily minimum temperature positively influenced detection of anurans in both states, and time of day was also important for detection in West Virginia. Wetland creation and implementation of the FRA may be an important tool for wildlife managers aiming to improve anuran populations and diversity on legacy surface mines in the Central Appalachians.

Kentucky, West Virginia↗

USGS2025

Initial responses of songbird communities to forest reclamation on legacy surface mines

Surface coal mining and subsequent reclamation efforts in the Appalachian Mountains, USA, transform the ecological characteristics of natural landscapes. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a mine reclamation method that emphasizes best management practices in forestry. FRA practices have demonstrated success in establishing native forests and accelerating natural succession on coal mines; however, no studies have empirically examined the effects of the FRA on bird communities. Our study aimed to assess the avian community composition within young forests reclaimed using the FRA after one decade of forest growth. Whereas traditional reclamation practices often support grassland avian guilds, we expected that the FRA would provide habitat for shrubland and young forest avian guilds. Moreover, we sought to determine whether FRA forests would contain known avian indicator species of the native forest land cover. In June 2022, we conducted point count surveys in high-elevation, red spruce-northern hardwood (RS-NH) forests in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. Using Bayesian multispecies occupancy models, we assessed avian guild occupancy and species richness within two FRA forest age classes (2–5 years and 8–11 years). We also examined avian community composition within two older RS-NH reference age classes to predict the future avian composition within FRA forests if reclamation succeeds. We found that the FRA breeding bird community included all of the avian indicator species expected to inhabit a young RS-NH forest. These results suggest that after approximately one decade, legacy mines reclaimed using the FRA are progressing toward a native RS-NH forest that supports associated forest bird communities.

West Virginia↗

USGS2024

Wetland creation and reforestation of legacy surface mines in the Central Appalachian Region (USA): A potential climate-adaptation approach for pond-breeding amphibians?

Habitat restoration and creation within human-altered landscapes can buffer the impacts of climate change on wildlife. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a coal surface mine reclamation practice that enhances reforestation through soil decompaction and the planting of native trees. Recently, wetland creation has been coupled with FRA to increase habitat available for wildlife, including amphibians. Our objective was to evaluate the response of pond-breeding amphibians to the FRA by comparing species occupancy, richness, and abundance across two FRA age-classes (2–5-year and 8–11-year reclaimed forests), traditionally reclaimed sites that were left to naturally regenerate after mining, and in mature, unmined forests in the Monongahela National Forest (West Virginia, USA). We found that species richness and occupancy estimates did not differ across treatment types. Spotted Salamanders ( Ambystoma maculatum ) and Eastern Newts ( Notophthalmus viridescens ) had the greatest estimated abundances in wetlands in the older FRA treatment. Additionally, larger wetlands had greater abundances of Eastern Newts, Wood Frogs ( Lithobates sylvaticus ), and Green Frogs ( L. clamitans ) compared to smaller wetlands. Our results suggest that wetland creation and reforestation increases the number of breeding sites and promotes microhabitat and microclimate conditions that likely maximize the resilience of pond-breeding amphibians to anticipated climate changes in the study area.

West Virginia↗

USGS2015

Classification of ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial stream reaches using a TOPMODEL-based approach

Whether a waterway is temporary or permanent influences regulatory protection guidelines, however, classification can be subjective due to a combination of factors, including time of year, antecedent moisture conditions, and previous experience of the field investigator. Our objective was to develop a standardized protocol using publicly available spatial information to classify ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial streams. Our hypothesis was that field observations of flow along the stream channel could be compared to results from a hydrologic model, providing an objective method of how these stream reaches can be identified. Flow-state sensors were placed at ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial stream reaches from May to December 2011 in the Appalachian coal basin of eastern Kentucky. This observed flow record was then used to calibrate the simulated saturation deficit in each channel reach based on the topographic wetness index used by TOPMODEL. Saturation deficit values were categorized as flow or no-flow days, and the simulated record of streamflow was compared to the observed record. The hydrologic model was more accurate for simulating flow during the spring and fall seasons. However, the model effectively identified stream reaches as intermittent and perennial in each of the two basins.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗