8/17: Reforestation proposed for Central Appalachia

Kentucky: 125 million tree program proposed for Appalachian mine sites

A group is proposing a massive reforestation plan to plant 125 million trees on Appalachia mine sites that were cleared or leveled and is seeking $422 million in federal funds for the project.

The goal is to put back trees on hundreds of thousands of acres where they once stood, but which coal companies reclaimed as grassland after surface mining over the last three decades.

The plan could boost the economy in one of the nation's most chronically poor areas, ultimately providing an estimated 2,000 jobs for forestry technicians, tree-planters, bulldozer operators and others, backers estimate. It could also improve water quality in streams, help soak up carbon dioxide and boost the economy by expanding the wood-products economy.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Gov. Riley signs occupational tax into law to benefit Jefferson County

ARKANSAS: 68 hospitals to become part of state's new trauma system

FLORIDA: Healthcare debate impacted by campaign donations from insurance companies

GEORGIA: Impact of water wars to be reach across the state

KENTUCKY: GOP Senate candidate Rand Paul predicts death of grandmothers under Obama's plan

LOUISIANA: State agencies cutting jobs, reducing work hours as budgets shrink

MISSISSIPPI: GOP spends time, money to push for voter ID on ballot

NORTH CAROLINA: Property rights took a hit this year in General Assembly

SOUTH CAROLINA: A look at how the GOP is doing in aftermath of Sanford affair

TENNESSEE: State's high-cost public insurance experiment fuels health care debate

VIRGINIA: UVA-UM study shows ancient slash-and-burn farming may have altered global climate

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