Dr. Jeffery Skousen is a Professor of soil science at West Virginia University and serves as the Extension Land Reclamation Specialist in West Virginia. He graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a B.S. in Range Management, received a M.S. in Range Ecology from BYU, and completed a Ph.D. in Range and Soil Science at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Skousen's extension duties involve providing information and new technologies to coal industry personnel and regulatory agencies. This includes training and consulting for coal operators, regulators, and land owners on land reclamation, mine drainage control and treatment, revegetation of disturbed lands, soil conservation, water quality, and post-mining land use development. He coordinates an annual mine drainage symposium and leads numerous coal mining and reclamation tours. He is a member of the science team of the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative and edits the American Society of Mining and Reclamation's magazine entitled "Reclamation Matters."
Teaching responsibilities include an introductory environmental science course at WVU with about 100 students. He also teaches a senior/graduate level course in reclamation of disturbed lands. He currently has three graduate students and serves on the committees of 14 others.
Dr. Skousen's research expertise involve: 1) acid mine drainage prediction, control and treatment, 2) overburden and soil analyses, 3) reclamation and revegetation of disturbed lands, 4) reforestation, 5) highway reclamation with native plants, 6) biomass production for biofuels, and 7) post-mining land use development. Since coming to WVU in 1986, he has received over $5 million in research grants, and has published over 150 articles in journals and other scientific literature. He has served on numerous national committees and councils on reclamation, including the president of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation (1991 and 2003) and as an associate editor for the Journal of Environmental Quality for six years. He works with other faculty, directs graduate student research, publishes results in journals and proceedings, and presents findings at professional meetings.