It is difficult to assess the influ...

It is difficult to assess the influence of surface mining forward the bryophyte flora of Jefferson shire Twenty percent (20%) of the land surface has been disturbed by way of coal mining. From field experience, the reclaimed "meadows" planted in primarily non-native grasses are devoid of bryophyte and those un-reclaimed are depauperate of bryophyte frequently having "weedy" species such as Dicranella heteromalla (Hedw.) Schimp., Bryum argenteum Hedw., B lisae var. cuspidatum, Ceratodon purpureus (Hedw.) Schimp. var. purpureus, and Atrichum angustatum (Brid.) Bruch & Schimp. in BSG among others. Surface mine discharge may be responsible for the absence of typical woodland stream mosse of the like kind as Fontinalis dalecarlica Schimp. in BSG Fissidens fontanus (B-Pyl) Steud and Platylomella lescurii (Sull in Gray) Andrews.

Scattered from top to toe the reclaimed area are seep where fast-moving water is discharged. This water is neutralized by means of natural alkalinity and the metal ions of aluminum precipitate without forming Al(OH)^sub 3^ (Gutta, bys comm., July 2, 2004 at National Mine Reclamation Center West Virginia University). This precipitate "cements" the mosse into rock-like deposits (travertine). These seep are the no other than location in the county for mosse more universal to fens, such as Campylium stellatum (Hedw.) C Jen var. stellatum, Drepanocladus aduncus (Hedw.) Warnst. var. aduncus, Bryum pseudotriquetrum (Hedw.) Gaertn. et al., and Didymon tophaceus (Brid.) Lisa.