Revegetation - OSM Technology Transfer - Office of Surface Mining

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Plant competition did not significantly affect survival in this study. Indeed, grass competition was non-existent during the course of the study with less than 1% cover by grasses on either site during the course of three years. During the second year of monitoring, weed cover on the topsoil treatment tended to be substantially higher with 11.5% cover as opposed to 3.4% cover on the spoil treatment. After three growing seasons, weedy species, such as Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), appeared in similar amounts (8.6% vs. 8.3% cover) in spoil and topsoil treatments. Overall, plant competition never appeared to reach levels that would inhibit establishment of woody species on the site. Colonization by mycorrhizal fungi was essentially the same between the topsoil and spoil treatment at the end of three years. Neither treatment appeared to inhibit or promote colonization within the timeframe of the study. DISCUSSION In contrast to our original theory, plant competition did not significantly alter shrub establishment potential on either site. Lack of a seed bank and possibly herbicide application prior to planting prevented large amounts of grass or weed coverage from developing. Despite sufficient levels of nitrate-N in the topsoil, these species did not establish and dominate either site. Thus, this study did not provide an adequate test the “environmental filter” concept. Despite this, the study did identify that shrub survival was significantly greater and plant growth similar on graded spoil substrates. Browse damage is most likely responsible for the higher mortality on the topsoil treatment. Other studies have identified this as a limiting factor on heavily used sites (Hoffman and Wambolt 1996). The spoil substrate may have mitigated the impacts of browse due to substrate texture. A majority of shrub mortality occurred during the year following substantial browse damage. It is hypothesized that the lower bulk density of the topsoil may cause deer and elk to pull up entire plants rather than simply nipping the tips of the shoots. In contrast, the heavier spoil substrate may anchor seedlings more securely and prevent removal of the roots. Intact but extracted plants were found on the site as evidence. This phenomenon has been observed at other heavily browsed sites. Existing volunteer plant cover may also have mitigated the loss of shrubs due to browse. Plants with the greatest growth were observed in the canopy of Canada thistle suggesting that herbivores avoided browsing these microsites. A more desirable, short-lived plant species that provides similar protection could potentially be used over large areas to increase growth on shrub restoration sites.
CONCLUSION Research has successfully demonstrated the benefits of topsoil application to grass establishment. Where restoration objectives are different and topsoil resources are limited, however, topsoil may impede the establishment of desired plant associations. This is particularly true in the establishment of mountain shrub communities of Colorado. Spoil provided a superior media for shrub survival in this study. The results do not necessarily reflect differences in edaphic factors however, but a greater tolerance to browse pressure. Although plant competition was not determined to be a factor, the concept of “environmental filters” to selectively promote establishment of shrubs over grasses deserves further research. REFERENCES Blomquist, K. W. and G. E. Lyon. 1993. Effects of soil quality and depth on seed germination and seedling survival at the Nevada Test Site. Wildland Shrub and Arid Land Restoration Symposium, Las Vegas, NV, USDA Intermountain Research Station. Brown, R. W., R. C. Sidle, et al. 1991. Reclamation Research Results on the Borealis Mine: Progress Report 1987-1990. Logan, UT, USDA Forest Service Intermountain Research Station Forestry Sciences Laboratory: 69. Chambers, J. C., R. W. Brown, et al. 1994. “An evaluation of reclamation success on Idaho's phosphate mines.” Restoration Ecology 2(1): 4-16. Hoffman, T. L. and C. L. Wambolt. 1996. Growth response of Wyoming big sagebrush to heavy browsing by wild ungulates. Proceedings: Shrubland Ecosystem Dynamics in a Changing Environment, Las Cruces, NM, USDA Forest Service Intermountain Research Station. Mathews, D. T. and M. S. Savage. 1990. Revegetation observations at surface coal mines in the Axial Basin, Yampa River Basin, and North Park, Colorado. Fifth Billings Symposium on Disturbed Land Rehabilitation, Billings, MT, Montana State University. McLendon, T. and E. F. Redente. 1992. “Effects of nitrogen limitation on species replacement dynamics during early secondary succession on a semiarid sagebrush site.” Oecologia 91: 312-317. Pendleton, R. L., S. D. Nelson, et al. 1996. Do soil factors determine the distribution of spineless hopsage (Grayia brandegei)? Proceedings: Shrubland Ecosystem Dynamics in a Changing Environment, Las Cruces, NM, USDA Intermountain Research Station.
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2000 Billings Land Reclamation Symp
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ock layers, the topography of the r
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Table 1. Comparision of Reference A
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generally greater on the revegetate
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growing season. Low and high precip
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Table 2. Comparison of Vegetation P
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REFERENCES CEC. 1998. Coors Energy
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METHODS Six mining companies submit
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NRCS derived standard. The NRCS der
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SUMMARY Production, diversity and s
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SUCCESSFUL RECLAMATION TECHNIQUES A
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May, 24, 1975 (LQD Rules and Regula
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Bond release requirements for the R
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The bond release area blended well
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y the planting of the native seed m
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References Final bond release crite
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It is familiar that many succession
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soils of the NA and PCT areas (Tabl
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In the SMT and NA areas, the correl
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All the grasses performed better on
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We believe that our findings relati
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for the life spans of the dominant
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INTRODUCTION Concern about the envi
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Following agreement on the systems
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land with respect to whether it is
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Environmental Concerns in Rights-of
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INTRODUCTION North Dakota enacted i
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eality by lessening the impact of a
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compared to show the relationship o
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Page 65 and 66: DISCUSSION The PDSI has several adv
Page 67 and 68: Mock, C. J. 1991. Drought and preci
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Page 71 and 72: size delineation is approximately t
Page 73 and 74: Table 1. Comparison of Williams & B
Page 75 and 76: least 2 of the 3 years that product
Page 79 and 80: This reclaimed mineland study was d
Page 81 and 82: surface traffic which followed the
Page 83 and 84: Another factor that may have contri
Page 85 and 86: since the plots were only fertilize
Page 89 and 90: successive pit is then placed on to
Page 91 and 92: gave the trees moisture retaining s
Page 93 and 94: INTRODUCTION While numerous studies
Page 95 and 96: In desert ecosystems of North Ameri
Page 97 and 98: Physically, the reconstructed soil
Page 99 and 100: small percentage of inhibitory soil
Page 101 and 102: INTRODUCTION In order to address co
Page 103 and 104: areas by soil depth were also gathe
Page 105: T52N Powder River Coal- Rawhide T50
Page 108 and 109: Table 2. Study Area Compared to Bre
Page 112 and 113: STUDY AREA The study area is Seneca
Page 116 and 117: Tilman, D. and D. Wedin. 1991. “D
Page 118 and 119: INTRODUCTION The Montana Strip and
Page 120 and 121: livestock. The environmental charac
Page 122 and 123: In Montana, as well as much of the
Page 124 and 125: REFERENCES Econ, Inc. 1983. Vegetat
Page 126 and 127: INTRODUCTION In 1996, owners of a s
Page 128 and 129: Table 1. Physical and chemical char
Page 130 and 131: surface soils collected from both b
Page 134 and 135: The Book Cliffs lie within the Pric
Page 136 and 137: Rock Outcrop Rubbleland Topsoil Sto
Page 138 and 139: pinyon/juniper, Douglas fir/Rocky M
Page 140 and 141: Construction and Reclamation Sequen
Page 142 and 143: LEGEND: Cap Layer Material Excess I
Page 144 and 145: Step 7: LEGEND: Cap Layer Material
Page 146 and 147: A North Slope Rock, rubble Sideslop
Page 148 and 149: Approximate Original Contour Restor
Page 150 and 151: Regulatory Concerns with the Experi
Page 152 and 153: Nyenhuis, J. H. 1997. Soil resource
Page 154 and 155: INTRODUCTION Management of soils on
Page 156 and 157: Soil samples were collected from th
Page 159 and 160: situ soil. Data from the Irigaray R
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Coal Basin is characterized by uniq
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A problem developed the summer foll
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delivered to the DMG over one thous
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A variety of containerized shrubs (
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TABLE 3. OUTSLOPE SEED MIXTURE SPEC
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INTRODUCTION Hard rock mines in the
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Coversoil an
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Table 2. Effect of coversoil thickn
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Brady, Nyle C. and R.R. Weil. 1996.
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2000 Billings Land Symposium SUCCES
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Traditional approaches to revegetat
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Table 1. Survival and mean vigor ra
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Survival (%) 100 80 60 40 20 0 �
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Seven planting sites were evaluated
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Table 5. Summary survival and parti
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SPECIES SELECTION Once the NPS made
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There is some question as to how mu
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Restoration within Yellowstone and
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Altitude Revegetation Workshop, No.
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INTRODUCTION The legacy of Montana
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METHODS AND MATERIALS The project d
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elt seeder based on a seeding rate
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Table 2. Anaconda Initial Evaluatio
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Planting begins with seedbed prepar
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REFERENCES Bradshaw, A.D.; McNeilly
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