PERMFILE46818 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

. ,- Smooth Brome 8 Indian Ricegrass 2 The seed was covered by raking. The entire ditch including the ditch bottom were mulched where the grade of the ditch is steep as it goes down to the sediment pond (Photograph 27). Steep portions of the inslope were also mulched (Photograph 28J and at the south end where the outslope is steep and relatively long this slope was also mulched. Management As with other areas of the Northern /fl Mine, this area has been heavily grazed, though this problem has now been eliminated by the fence. The ditch has been fertilized with 30-10-0 at 120 lbs/acre the past two springs. Results • Plant cover in the north end of the ditch where the grade is very steep as the ditch drops to the sediment pond is 10 to 20 per- ' cent. These cover values should increase dramatically with the ~ elimination of grazing as there are numerous established indi- viduals but grazing removed much of the plant material. Photo- ~ graph 29 was taken in October 1980 and illustrates this portion of the ditch. No information could be obtained on species composi- ' tion along the ditch because grazing eliminated the seed heads. At the south end of the ditch where the inslope and outslope 1 are relatively long and steep, vegetative cover is minimal. The primary reason for this is slope instability and in spite of the fact that the outslope was mulched there was considerable soil movement, and in some areas the mulch is broken and partially covered up (Photograph 30 ). In the portion of the ditch directly above the portal, plant cover is sparse but with the grazing controlled these plants will be given a chance to develop a ground cover. The substrate in this portion of the ditch is very rocky, thus the percent ground cover will never be very high. Recortmendations Areas where plant cover is sparse at the south end of the ditch should be spot seeded until a sufficient nu~er of indi- viduals are established to stabilize the ditch banks. Spring fertilization should be continued for the next several seasons along the ditch because much of the substrate is rocky or poor sub- soil at best.