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operated in situations suitable to their design capabilities. The overall operation plan is <br />designed to flow logically from topsoil removal through contemporaneous reclamation. The <br />plan is designed to maximize coal recovery and minimize environmental disturbances. <br />The first step in the operations plan is the removal of topsoil and vegetation. In most <br />instances, vegetation material and topsoil will be removed in one operation by dozers or <br />scrapers. Vegetation material that is large enough to interfere with topsoil removal or <br />replacement will be removed in a separate operation and disposed of in the pit area. It is <br />expected that vegetation will be removed as a separate operation only on a very small portion <br />of the area. Removing vegetation and topsoil in one operation is used for the following <br />reasons: <br />Topsoil recovery is maximized since removal of vegetation as a separate <br />operation wastes one to three inches of the best topsoil that contains many <br />native seeds. <br />2. Vegetation incorporated into the topsoil can provide live plant materials for <br />shrub sprouting when replaced immediately. <br />Vegetation material mixed with the topsoil helps reduce compaction when <br />topsoil is replaced, and provides additional erosion control. <br />4. Vegetation material in the topsoil will increase organic matter and thereby <br />• encourage microbial activity, and speed natural soil building processes. It is <br />very unlikely that mixing the vegetation with topsoil could adversely effect <br />reclamation. The determination of the amount of any fertilizer to be applied <br />will be determined as per the Soil Testing Program. <br />The vegetative material that could be large enough to interfere with topsoil operations refers <br />to the large Gambel's Oak and Aspen. The larger trees are not crushed as is the smaller brush <br />during the course of topsoil removal, stockpiling and/or redistribution by dozers, loaders, <br />trucks and scrapers. Once handled by the equipment, the smaller brush causes little problem <br />during Eater phases of the topsoil or reclamation operations. <br /> <br />2.05-2 <br />