2013-11-04_PERMIT FILE - C1981022A (4)

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2.0 REVEGETATION PRACTICES 2.1 SEEDBED PREPARATION As a first step in seedbed preparation, in areas where soil will be replaced, compacted surfaces will be ripped to a depth of at least 12 inches before applying soIl. In areas where soil is not available for replacement or where surface materials are suitable, areas will not be ripped to a depth that exposes any undesirable underlying materials. If this depth is less than six inches, then soil will be added to attain a minimum depth of six inches. In areas where broadcast seeding or hydromulching is to be employed, the soil surfaces will be left somewhat roughened condition. Dozers or other tracked equipment may be used to prepare the surface for hydxomulching ox broadcast seeding. IE the seedbed surface is hard and crusty, then tracked equipment will be used to roughen the surface prior to hydroseeding or broadcast seeding. 2.2 SEED MIXTURES The revegetation seed mixtures have some inherent Flexibility builbin and is designed to restore disturbances in Juniper Woodland habitats of south and southwest facing slopes, disturbances in the Mountain Shrubland habitat type on somewhat more mesic east-facing slopes, and riparian disturbance areas. The present vegetation community on these sites represents a low range condition due to past over-grazing practices. The shrub components of Utah Juniper and Gambel's Oak dominate these sites with an undexstory dominated by wheatgxasses, native bluegrass, needlegrasses, cheatgrass, quackgrass, Indian ricegxass and Japanese bromegrass. OMLLC desires to reclaim to an improved vegetative community that approximates the climax potential for these sites, The diverse mixture of species selected was developed to target the post-mine land use of a quality habitat capable of supporting the approved post-mining land uses. The established species diversity will be consistent with the potential climax plant community for these sites. The seed mix design and composition was developed by selecting species similar to the major species components (dominant diversity, seasonality and growth form) found in the predominant range sites correlated with the underlying soil communities. See Table 2. The reclamation area is predominantly undexlaln with soIl types of Torrioxthents-rock outcrop (70%), Absaxokee Beenom So$ Complex (30%). These soils are correlated to the Rocky Loam and Brushy Loam range sites which have a climax plant community that is dominated with grasses and asub-dominant shrub community. Due to the mixing oEsoils, waste rock, and other materials that now constitute the available plant-growth medium, a selection of similar vegetation species from the three soil types and their correlated range sites were selected as the proposed reclamation seed mix. (Table 3) Seeding rates axe expressed in pounds of Pure Live Seed (PLS) per acre and are specified at a rate oEapproximately 45 live seeds per square Foot. To achieve divetsity in the final reclaimed stand of vegetation approximately 25% of the seed mix is comprised of grasses, 25% of the seed mix is comprised of shmb/half shrubs and 50% of the seed mix is comprised of forbs. Table 4 and Table 5 are also included for seed [nixes required by the BLM and USFS on those lands managed by those two agencies. MR-83 H-3 Rev. August 2006