Figure 31.— Cattle grazing on young seedlings on a graded highwall with second-year grasses in foreground, at the Rosebud 

 mine in Montana. Uncontrolled grazing by livestock, here unauthorized, can greatly reduce revegetation success and in- 

 crease erosion potential. The natural vegetation is seen on the hillside in the background. Note the terrace-like trails made 

 by livestock on the hillside (right). October 1978. 



lands. On the basis of our 1978 examinations 

 and the supporting data, we agree that there is a 

 just cause for some of Wali and Kollman's op- 

 timism if present technology is applied; other 

 factors, however, could preclude early success. 



Ample evidence exists to show that grass or 

 grass-legume cover can be initially established 

 on gently sloping surface-mined land (figs. 39, 

 40, and 41) by relatively simple procedures and 

 good post-planting protection. Density of the 

 cover and overall plant productivity will, of 

 course, vary with climatic conditions; reclaimed 

 areas having the lowest annual precipitation (10 

 inches or less) and the highest evaporation rates 

 (64 inches or more) will support less vegetation 

 just as they did before mining. Within any given 

 climatic zone, the better the solutions of prob- 

 lems related to soil, slope, moisture, and ero- 

 sion, the better the stand of vegetation. The 

 grasses and legumes planted in the successful 



projects were selected for their adaptability to 

 and tolerance of the harsh conditions that gen- 

 erally prevail at a mine reclamation site. There is 

 much less evidence of what other perennial 

 plants can do in similar or less harsh situations, 

 mainly because such plants have not been 

 widely used. This situation seems to be caused 

 by the small number of seed sources, the related 

 high cost of seeds, and the lack of reliable per- 

 formance data for native plants. Whereas non- 

 grass herbaceous perennials and a few invasive 

 shrubs are sometimes found within the grass- 

 planted areas, they are not significant enough in 

 number or size to enable predictions about their 

 future competitive behavior. The voluntary oc- 

 currence of the nongrass and leguminous plants 

 also has been cited as an indication that their in- 

 tentional use in the reclamation process will be 

 successful. Where they have been planted with 

 grasses, however, the plantings are still too 



46 



