Growing Media 



Vegetatic 



Species Diversity 



Premining: Stony, sandy Premining: Spruce, fir, aspen mixed with pinyon- Premining: Very rich 

 loam grading to clay. juniper and associated shrubs (mainly sagebrush) flora where two 

 and grasses (mainly cheatgrass and ricegrass). ecotypes meet. 



Postmining: Coal fines 



mixed with rock wastes Postmining: Sparsely naturally revegetated; some Postmining: On coal 

 and premining soils. ricegrass and mahonia repens on coal fines. fines, very limited. 



Premining: Thin clay to silty 

 clay, loam, and sand; 

 sodium absorption ratio 

 40; pH 6.1-8.2. Range 

 site types include bad- 

 lands, sandy, sandy 

 saline, shaly saline, chop- 

 py sands, saline lowlands, 

 calcareous, and thin 

 breaks. 



Postmining: Spoil is sand, 

 broken sandstone, and 

 shale in three broad 

 types: mostly sand, most- 

 ly clay, or a mixture of 

 both. 



Premining: Alkali sacaton, galleta, sand dropseed, Premining: Reported to 

 sandhill muhly, broom snakeweed. Mormon-tea, be 60 to 70 species 

 greasewood, shadscale, and fourwing saltbush. of annuals and 



perennials, both 



Postmining: Under irrigation, perennial vegetation palatable and 

 provides 10 to 15 percent cover. Ground layer of nonpalatable. 

 some grasses and annual plants. Scattered Indian 



ricegrass, wheatgrasses, sand dropseed, galleta, Postmining: 15 to 20 

 and giant dropseed. Density and composition species observed, 

 vary with spoil type. Fourwing saltbush appears 

 to be thinning out with the discontinuation of ir- 

 rigation. 



Premining: 29-101 lbs/acre 

 (overgrazed); 250-500 

 lbs/acre potential. 



Postmining: In 1975, 41-614 

 lbs/acre for irrigated areas. 



Premining: Silty clay loam to Premining: Predominantly open grassland; galleta. 



sandy loam; substrate is 

 sandstone and siltstone; 

 sodium absorption ratio 

 as high as 27; pH 7.8-8.2. 



Postmining: Spoils are shale 

 and (or) sandstone. 

 Problems of high sodium 

 and high clay content are 

 partly solved by 12-in. 

 topsoiling in two separate 

 applications (4 in. and 8 

 in). 



alkali sacaton, Indian ricegrass, sand dropseed, 

 fourwing saltbush, and shadscale saltbush. 



Postmining: Ground cover generally 5 percent; 

 Russian-thistle and sand dropseed dominant. 

 Fourwing saltbush has become established pro- 

 viding 10 to 15 percent cover. Nonirrigated areas 

 have not revegetated. 1978-79 seedings suc- 

 cessful. 



Premining: Over 10 

 species. 



Postmining: 1973-77, 

 four species in seed 

 mix; 1978, 10 species 

 in seed mix. 



Premining: 139-195 lbs/acre for 

 grasses and shrubs. 



Postmining: No data. 



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