Cumberland River Compact gears up to restore forests 

By Logan Langlois NASHVILLE, TN — Water conservation organization the Cumberland River Compact has announced its Working Lands Program, an effort that will concentrate on mine land reforestation throughout the Cumberland River in Kentucky and Tennessee. The first phase of the project is set to begin in early 2024 with the planting of 35,000 trees, after which The Compact said they will be filling a gap in “small” land reforestation. The reforestation will consist of anywhere from 50-100 acres at a time and is desperately needed in areas around the Cumberland River that have previously been mined for coal. “Basically, we’re restoring the ecosystem,” Working Lands Program Manager Caroline Hutchins said. “We’re taking land that for all intents and purposes is not much better than a parking lot and turning it into a vibrant ecosystem.”& Hutchins said the lands being restored are extremely flat on the bottom of a steep drop-off, much like someone cut squares on the side of the mountains.& “At first glance, if you don’t know what you’re looking at you might not realize that it’s not supporting much of an ecosystem,” Hutchins said. “Because it’s green and it’s beautiful, you’re just up there in the mountains....