Growing Media 



Premining: Deep to moder- 

 ately deep sandy to clayey 

 loams over mostly sand- 

 stone and interbedded 

 thin shale; permeability 

 moderate to rapid; 

 sodium locally high in 

 some soils; pH 3.6-7.0. 



Postmining: Graded spoil 

 covered by 6 to 18 in. 

 mixed topsoil; pitted, 

 mulched, and fertilized. 



Premining: Grassland-sagebrush; big sagebrush, rab- 

 bitbrush, blue grama, junegrass, and needleand- 

 thread dominant. Cover varies from to 40 

 percent. 



Postmining: Revegetated areas vary considerably 

 with age and location; ground cover varies from 

 to 35 percent. Dominant species include western, 

 streambank, thickspike, and crested wheat- 

 grasses. Millet used as a cover crop. Initially, 

 seeding was done without topsoil or mulch; 

 created wheatgrass, alfalfa, and cereal rye were 

 used. Wide variety of grasses now used with top- 

 soil and mulch. 



Premining: Over 15 

 species. 



Postmining: 7 species in 

 seed mix. 



Produaivity 



Premining: Probably low. 



Postmining: 1972 seeding in 

 untopsoiled areas yielded 73 

 lbs/acre. Topsoiled areas 

 yielded 1,300 lbs/acre. 



Premining: Mostly brown Premining: Big sagebrush, black sagebrush, rabbit- Premining: Over 22 



sandy loam over lime- 

 stone and sandstone; 

 also, friable grayish- 

 brown loam over shales 

 with free lime usually 

 present. pH 7.0-9.0; 



brush, and saltbush with Indian ricegrass, species. 



needleandthread, and junegrass. Local saline 



soils, characterized by poor drainage and heavy Postmining: 45 species; 



clay soils, are distinguished by the presence of ricegrasses on steep 



greasewood, saltbush, and saltgrass. Cover of 24 spoils. 



to 76 percent. 



Postmining: Spoils com- Postmining: Drill seeding of wheatgrasses and yellow 

 posed of shale, sand- sweetclover. Bluebunch wheatgrass, green 

 needlegrass, Indian ricegrass, streambank 

 wheatgrass, western wheatgrass, thickspike 

 wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass, fourwing 

 saltbush, and shadscale saltbush. Cover uniform 

 but varies with age of seeding from 79 to 89 per- 

 cent. Some sagebrush, saltbush, and greasewood 

 volunteers. 



stone, and clay; most 

 areas topsoiled. Straw 

 and sprayed fibrous 

 mulch. 



Premining: 600 to 1,400 lbs/acre 

 on big sage-grassland; 

 250-600 lbs/acre on low 

 sage-saltbush type. Seminoe 

 No. 2 — 740 to 1,000 

 lbs/acre. 



Postmining: 



Rosebud— 78 to 412 lbs/acre 

 (1-year growth). 



Medicine Bow — No data. 



Seminoe No. 1—538 to 888 

 lbs/acre; Russian-thistle 

 severely invaded seeded areas 

 causing competition for 

 available moisture during 

 first 2 years, then thinned 

 out. 



Seminoe No. 2—579 to 1,728 

 lbs/acre (1-year growth). 



Premining: Thin, rocky, clay Premining: Sagebrush, shadscale, rabbitbrush, Premining: Over 15 



loam over parent shale greasewood, antelope bitterbrush, western species, 



and sandstone; pH wheatgrass, junegrass, slender wheatgrass, Indian 



6.5-7,4; no toxic ricegrass; some areas contain aspen, chokecherry, Postmining: Limited 



materials. serviceberry, rose, and Great Basin wildrye. diversity. 



Postmining: Surface material 

 of shale, clay, and weath- 

 ered shale; 6 to 8 in. of 

 topsoil used locally. 

 Older spoils weathered 

 and rounded. Tops fur- 

 rowed. 



Postmining: Natural revegetation occurring on spoils 

 from 1955, with encroachment of Great Basin 

 wildrye, aspen, and rose. Some sagebrush and 

 bitterbrush. Revegetated areas dominated by 

 wheatgrasses and fourwing saltbush. Cover 

 highly varied; up to 37 percent. Some spruce and 

 fir seedhngs tested in current reclamation. Older 

 test plots of woody plants on steep slopes show 

 fair to good survival of Russian-olive, 

 skunkbush, and Chinese elm. 



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