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loam spoil. Schuman and others (1980) found that native grass production on reclaimed • spoil in Wyoming equaled forage production on an undisturbed native area when the soil thickness was 1.3 feet. In northwestern Colorado, Mcginnies and Nicholas, 1982, demonstrated with field and greenhouse studies that vegetation stands, herbage yield, antl root production ell increased linearly as soil depths increased from 0 to 1.5 feet. Barth (1984) found that ,production of perennial grasses on bare spoil with no adverse properties, was as great as when spoil was covered with soil of any thickness. DePUit, 1984, points out that plant community composition and diversity for rangeland is often reached at shallower soil depths than what is required for maximum production. 'This phenomenon apparently exists at the Seneca Mine in northwestern Colorado where Pfannenstiel and Wendt (1985) demonstrated that 0.5 feet of soil applied to Wadge spoil in 1976 has produced a native looking sagebrush grassland community with a shrub density of 1,450 stems/acre. Proper soil handling techniques used in combinat ion with suitable spoil replacement and soil/spoil scarification, where needed [o reduce compaction, are more effective in reestablishing minesoil productivity than 50 years of succession on poor quality minesoils (Schafer et al-, 1979). ' A mean soil replacement thickness of approximately 1.8 feet (1.0 foot minimum excluding shrub islands where 0.5 feet of soil will be applied) over final graded spoil at Yoast Mine and 1.1 feet (0.5 foot minimum) over final graded undisturbed substratum along Haul Roads A and B and the facilities in Section 8 will be beneficial to establishing a good seedbed and rooting medium. This conclusion is supported by the above referent etl literature, premine soil survey (Tab 9), and vegetation inventories (Tab 10), as well as on-site data from Peabody's Seneca II and 11-W Mines. The anticipated loamy soil texture will likely have favorable infiltration and water holding characteristics. Also, the spoil medium immediately below the soil will typically have desirable chemical and physical characteristics for plant growth ineluding a loamy texture, low sodicity and salinity, and moderately low saturation percentage for acceptable water holding characteristics, and no minor element toxicity problems (see Tab 6, Geology and Overburden Assessment). Maintenance end Testing Procedures. Prior to distribution of soil in the Wolf Creek and deeper Wadge coal areas, final graded areas (on which soil is t o be applied) will be sampled to confirm spoil suitability (see Tab 21, Overburden/Spoil Handling Plan 4or mere details). The density end physical characteri stics of the replaced soil and upper spoil 24 Revised 06/19/95