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RESPONSE F2. We fully agree that the organic deficiency <br />in the soil presents problems for sustained growth and development <br />of the vegetation. This condition, though, is no different from <br />the condition that occurs when any spoil material is to be reclaimed, <br />or, for that matter, when natural processes establish vegetation <br />on fresh disturbances such as landslides or the material resulting <br />from large volcanic eruptions that create completely new land <br />surface. In all these cases any organic matter content must <br />originate from sources outside the area and be transported by <br />wind or water or possibly animals. But essentially the organic <br />matter at this initial stage is very low and nutrient cycling very <br />precariously balanced. <br />In natural situations where annual weeds do not occur, <br />~; • such as many isolated oceanic islands, the first plants to arrive <br />are either excellent nitrogen fixers or plants that are adapted to <br />survive on strictly mineral soil. These plants initiate the <br />cycling by either adding organic matter or nitrogen fixing products <br />(or both) that open the way for other species with less pioneer type <br />requirements. <br />In tropical areas this process occurs in just a few <br />years, but in cold climates where decomposition is slow and growth <br />can only occur in relatively short time span each year the process <br />can take several decades to become established. <br />In mine spoil reclamation where no soil is available for <br /> <br />placement as a growth medium, essentially the same process is <br />attempted to be duplicated in an accelerated fashion. The approach <br />S-I-9* <br />