2016-07-15_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - M1988044

Home Browse Search

management helps reduce it,but if a year comes along that is quite wet at the right time the long seed dormancy of cheatgrass can produce a huge crop with a production of lots of new seeds to recharge the cheatgrass seed bank. In drier years the cheatgrass density declines and even if it drops to near zero due to severe drought, when the drought ends the cheatgrass will come back in great abundance. Thus, it never leaves; its population only changes. Keeping the vegetation in good condition helps restrain this highly competitive species but elimination is not yet considered achievable in all but the most unusual circumstances once it has become established in the community. In the 2014 revegetation area an unusual condition was noted on July 7. In one large area in the northeastern corner of this 32 acre area,both white and yellow sweetclover has appeared in abundance. Checking back in the seeding records, sweetclover has never been planted in conducting reclamation. This stand of sweetclover was not present last year. It is not known where this growth came from. But if it was planted by someone subsequent to the reclamation,this may have been a serious mistake. It is also possible that it is a re-expression of a much older planting that was done for some reason. However, as sweetclover is a rare species on this part of the Lowry Range, such an explanation does not seem reasonable. If planted by someone then that is an unauthorized and unapproved planting within Schmidt's reclamation area. Second, introducing such aggressive species into the Lowry Range vegetation could have deleterious impacts. In fact,this is considered a species that should only be used in special circumstances because it tends to be invasive. Thirty years ago planting sweetclover was considered acceptable, but after seeing its deleterious effects it is now largely frowned upon in mined land reclamation. As a rule, it is only used where raw rock fines forms the growth medium and a soil must be created in place and no other nitrogen fixers can survive in reclamation environment. But one thing is sure. Schmidt did not plant or introduce this species. 5. Status of Prior Rvvegetation Areas- A. Status of newest seedings as of report date-N/A E. Status of older revegetation as of report date(describe growth rates, cover, invasive species, native invasion, and difficulties) - In July 2016, all older revegetation sites were briefly examined and found to be in excellent condition. Individual Reclamation Areas: The newest reclamation area was described previously. F. Description of animal impacts on revegetation: No significant animal impacts were noted. Grazing appears to be well managed. WEED STATUS: 1. General overview of weed status on site: Weeds seem to have declined considerably in the last year, probably as a result of control measures. Spurge seems to be less and thistles are less abundant. Canada Thistle near the plant area is greatly reduced. Knapweed is still present, but is slightly less than previously seen. Status report for 2016 due July 15, 2016 Page 5 of 6