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34 <br /> 620.04-5 Soil Reconstruction Material For Drastically Disturbed Areas. <br /> (a) Soil reconstruction of areas drastically disturbed, as in surface mining, is the <br /> process of replacing layers of soil material or unconsolidated geologic material or both in a <br /> vertical sequence of such quality and thickness that they provide a favorable medium for <br /> plant growth. <br /> (b) Most new state strip mine programs emphasize that the land surface be <br /> s <br /> restored to about its natural configuration or better and the soil be reconstructed to <br /> maintain or improve its suitability for the intended use. Thus, a knowledge of the soil and <br /> underlying material is needed to plan proper reconstruction operations of mined land. This <br /> guide for soil reconstruction material evaluates the material as a medium for plant growth. <br /> It can be used to rate any segment of the soil profile or unconsolidated geologic material <br /> that is thick enough to warrant consideration in planned soil reconstruction. For named <br /> kinds of soil, for example, it will be necessary for most purposes to rate the A horizon, the <br /> B horizon, and the C horizon separately. If they all rate "good," there may be little <br /> justification for keeping them separate for soil reconstruction. If the A horizon is rated <br /> better than the B or C, then it generally should be kept separate, depending upon its <br /> thickness and the anticipated use of the land. This guide does not cover quarry, pit, <br /> dredge, and older surface mine operations that require an offsite source of soil <br /> reconstruction material--the guide "Daily Cover for Sanitary Landfill" is useful to evaluate <br /> the material used in restoration of these operations. <br /> (c) When the soil materials are properly used in reconstruction, a rating of good <br /> means vegetation is relatively easy to establish and maintain, the surface is stable and <br /> resists erosion, and the reconstructed soil has good potential productivity. Material rated <br /> fair can be vegetated and stabilized by modifying one or more properties. Topdressing <br /> with better material or application of soil amendments may be necessary for satisfactory <br /> performance. Material rated poor has such severe problems that revegetation and <br /> (430-VI-NSH, Draft, September 1992) <br />