Reclamation Strategies 



Methods used in the reclamation of nutrient deficient 

 soils, such as those in this study, should be determined by 

 the site's inherent regenerative capacity and the desired 

 end land use. If the objective of revegetation of similar 

 drill pad sites in the area is reestablishment of lodgepole 

 pine, and if relatively low biomass production of grasses 

 and forbs is acceptable in the interum, then fertilization 

 may not be necessary and species adapted to low levels of 

 nutrients should be seeded. Fertilization of nitrogen defi- 

 cient soils does not alter the soil characteristics or de- 

 crease the deficiency (Bloomfield and others 1982). This 

 and other studies (see Chapin 1980) indicate that native 

 species adapted to low nutrient conditions can maintain 

 more constant productivity on low nutrient soils than 

 high-nutrient adapted introduced species. The N status 

 of nutrient deficient soils has often been improved by 

 seeding species with nitrogen-fixing symbionts 

 (Bloomfield and others 1982; Jeffries and others 1981). 

 A legume, northern sweetvetch (Hedysarum boreale), per- 

 formed well in separate study plots on the site and may be 

 beneficial on similar sites. On sites with P or micronutri- 

 ent deficiency, fertilization with these elements may 

 increase establishment and productivity. 



If the objective in revegetating these sites is to increase 

 biomass production of grasses or forbs and to perhaps 

 slow reestablishment of lodgepole pine, then treatments 

 that increase the nutrient retention capacity of the soil 

 and accelerate the development of a viable nutrient cycle 

 may be necessary. Topsoil is typically used in revegeta- 

 tion to provide a growing medium and to accelerate soil 

 development. However, addition of selected organic 

 amendments may be equally or more effective in soil de- 

 velopment than more expensive topsoil/mulch procedures 

 (Elkins and others 1984; Scholl and Pace 1984; Woods and 

 Schuman 1986). Once the nutrient retention capacity of 

 the soil has been improved, it is possible to seed a higher 

 proportion of high-nutrient adapted species and thereby 

 increase biomass production. In addition, on sites with 

 relatively greater nutrient retention capacities, fertiliza- 

 tion may have a larger effect on plant establishment and 

 production. Including low-nutrient adapted species and 

 species with N-fixing symbionts on these sites will in- 

 crease species diversity and may still help to ensure their 

 sustained productivity. 



REFERENCES 



Association of Official Seed Analysts. 1981. Rules for 

 testing seeds. Journal of Seed Technology. 6(2): 1-125. 



Allen, E. B.; Allen, M. F. 1984. Competition between 

 plants of different successional stages: mycorrhizae as 

 regulators. Canadian Journal of Botany. 62: 2626-2629. 



Allen, E. B.; Knight, D. H. 1984. The effects of introduced 

 annuals on secondary succession in sagebrush- 

 grassland, Wyoming. The Southwestern Naturalist. 28: 

 407-421. 



Aldon, E. F.; Springfield, H. W.; Scholl, D. G. 1976. Fertil- 

 izer response of alkali sacaton and fourwing saltbush 



grown on coal mine spoil. Res. Note RM-306. Fort 

 Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

 Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment 

 Station. 4 p. 



Bengeyfield, P.; Elsea, J.; Hennes, B.; Kappesser, G.; 

 Potyondy, J. 1980. East Fork Smiths Fork barometer 

 watershed. Volume I: data interpretations and summa- 

 ries. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, For- 

 est Service, Intermountain Region; Final Report. 56 p. 



Berg, W. A. 1980. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization of 

 mined land. In: Adequate reclamation of mined land? 

 A symposium. Billings, MT: Soil Conservation Society 

 of America and Western Regional Coordinating Com- 

 mittee for Disturbed Land Reclamation. 8 p. 



Bloomfield, H. E.; Handley, J. F.; Bradshaw, A. D. 1982. 

 Nutrient deficiencies and the aftercare of reclaimed 

 derelict land. Journal of Applied Ecology. 19: 151-158. 



Brown, R. W.; Johnston, R. S.; Chambers, J. C. 1984. 

 Responses of seeded native grasses to repeated fertilizer 

 applications on acidic alpine mine spoils. In: Colbert, 

 T. A.; Cuany, R. L., eds. High altitude revegetation 

 workshop No. 7. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State Uni- 

 versity, Water Resources Research Institute: 200-214. 



Carpenter, A. T.; Johnson, P. S.; Squibb, R. C. 1984. Non- 

 destructively estimating phytomass of shrubs and 

 herbs. Paper presented at the 1984 annual meeting of 

 the Society for Range Management; Bismark, SD. 



Carson, P. L. 1980a. Recommended nitrate-nitrogen tests. 

 In: Dahnke, W. O, ed. Recommended chemical soil test 

 procedures for the North Central Region. Bull. 499. 

 Fargo, ND: North Dakota State University, North Da- 

 kota Agricultural Experiment Station: 12-30. 



Carson, P. L. 1980b. Recommended potassium test. In: 

 Dahnke, W. C, ed. Recommended chemical soil test 

 procedures for the North Central Region. Bull. 499. 

 Fargo, ND: North Dakota State University, North Da- 

 kota Agricultural Experiment Station: 17-21. 



Chambers, J. C; Brown, R. W. 1983. Methods for vegeta- 

 tion sampling and analysis on revegetated mined lands. 

 Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-151. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department 

 of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest 

 and Range Experiment Station. 57 p. 



Chapin, F. S., III. 1980. The mineral nutrition of wild 

 plants. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. 

 11: 233-260. 



DePuit, E. J.; Coenenberg, J. G. 1979. Responses of re- 

 vegetated coal strip mine spoils to variable fertilization 

 rates, longevity of fertilization program, and season of 

 seeding. Res. Pap. 150. Bozeman, MT: Montana State 

 University, Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. 

 81 p. 



DePuit, E. J.; Willmuth, W. H.; Coenenberg, J. G. 1978. 

 Research on revegetation of surface mined lands at 

 Colstrip, Montana: progress report: 1975-1977. Res. 

 Pap. 127. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University, 

 Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. 165 p. 



Elkins, N. Z.; Parker, L. W.; Aldon, E.; Whitford, W. G. 

 1984. Responses of soil biota to organic amendments in 

 stripmine spoil in Northwestern New Mexico. Journal 

 of Environmental Quality. 13(2): 215-219. 



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