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• To consider the necessity to reclaim relatively small portions of the landscape in a <br />phased, sequential fashion (for the purpose of minimizing visual and <br />enviromnental impacts). <br />• To control nonnative plant species. <br />• To control erosion caused by runoff and wind. <br />Topsoil Salvage <br />The goal of topsoil salvage operation is to keep the soil alive, weed-free, and protected <br />from damage until it can be returned to the restoration site for planting or seeding. <br />For the purposes of salvage, topsoil is generally defined as the upper 6 to 12 inches of <br />cover material. Below this depth biological activity is usually limited. Sub soils, or <br />overburden, shall be stored sepazately from top soils so that they can be re-spread first <br />before the topsoil is placed as the uppermost layer. <br />Topsoil shall be salvaged when moist, but not wet. Salvage of wet soils, particulazly <br />those with fine texture, often severely damages or completely destroys soil structure. The <br />result is a giant "mud pie" that may dry as a massive brick. Salvage of completely dry <br />topsoil may also damage soil structure, though not as severely, and will result in nearly <br />complete loss of living plant material. <br />Topsoil should be stored less than one yeaz and in a weed-free location. Storage piles <br />• shall be shallow (less than 2 feet is optimal) to leave more of the soil exposed to air. <br />Topsoil shall be sown with a protective sterile cover crop such as Regreen (sterile wheat <br />X wheatgrass cross) or milo. <br />Post Mining Site Configuration <br />Once removal of product is complete, overburden will be distributed into place to create a <br />resulting topography that is gently sloping and fairly irregular, to mimic and integrate <br />into the surrounding landscape. The sub-soils shall be scarified to a depth of 6 to 12 <br />inches prior to replacing the topsoil. Top soil shall be replaced to a minimum depth of 4 <br />inches. The post-mining slopes will range from 1 % to 25%. The maximum slope for the <br />post mining condition shall be 4:1. <br />The manner in which the topsoil is returned to the site is just as important as the way it is <br />salvaged and stored: <br />• Top soil shall be placed only when there is an assurance that the area will be <br />seeded within a few days. <br />• Topsoil shall be replaced with a minimum number of machine passes. Project <br />supervisors should accept variability of topsoil depth in iie~.a of seeking very <br />uniform topsoil thickness through extended machine work. <br />• If topsoil is imported from another location, the source should be carefully and <br />thoroughly inspected for noxious weeds and undesiraUle p?.ants and rejected if <br />weeds are found. <br />1 r, <br />