2015-12-07_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - M1973007

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VEGETATION INFORMATION groundwater is not far below the surface and that aids in the establishment and maintenance of the trees. But at higher elevations, invasion by even weedy, introduced trees such as Chinese Elm, much less more desirable cottonwoods, is a rare event. ;6-The importance of this to the reclamation plan is considerable. Attempting to establish trees on this site without a steady supply of water is pointless. In the mid-1990's an attempt was made to establish drought tolerant locust trees along Bradley Road, in accordance with the Special Use Permit requirements. Even with supplemental water and the use of polyacrylamides in the soil, the planting was a failure. Today there is little more than a few small sprigs left and they are just surviving, but not growing; But where there is a steady supply of water, such as in the bottom of the pit and in sediment basins, growth of woody vegetation can be good to very robust. The point of this is that where conditions are suitable, it is fairly easy to grow trees on this land, but that zone of suitability quickly changes to essentially unsuitable as available moisture declines. This even applies to drought tolerant species. The porous sand, when more than about ten feet deep, simply does not have a high enough water holding capacity to support tree growth. Summary The vegetation of the site is primarily composed of two units, the old field and the disturbed areas. The old field areas tend to have a low diversity vegetation dominated by Blue Grama and Needlegrass on most areas and Big Bluestein and Sand Bluestein on other areas. The disturbed areas include land where mining is occurring and essentially no vegetation is found. Piles of waste and soil show abundant weed growth and only a few invading grasses. A low seral stage old field vegetation that is dominated by weeds and is being invaded by natives from surrounding areas can also found on some recently disturbed land. Woody plant growth is limited to only moist locations or locations where moisture is readily available within about 10 feet of the surface. In those locations woody plant growth can be good to dense, but outside of those locations woody growth can rarely be supported. Revegetation should capitalize on blend of planted grasses and invasion of native grasses. The invasion of native grasses will primarily involve Scribner Needlegrass. Most of the other native grasses will invade sparsely and will need to be planted. Introduced grasses, such as wheatgrasses, should also be included to provide a faster cover, but as site vegetation indicates, such a planting is compatible with the slower development of more permanent native species. Daniels Sand Pit#2 Amendment (2008) Exhibit I Page 6 of 6