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Doc Date:12111/2001 III IIIIIIIIIIIII III <br />sss <br />• <br />• <br />5/L • 4.3 TOPSOIL MANAGE[~NT <br />4.3.1 TOPSOIL SALVAGE <br />Suitable topsoils were salvaged from the areas to be disturbed by <br />mining. Topsoil removal was accomplished in advance of mining operations, <br />so as to ensure that topsoil salvage always preceded mining and avoided <br />contamination of the soil resource. <br />In the Moffat Area, suitable topsoil was salvaged from areas to be <br />disturbed where it was available (see Exhibit 4.3-1, Sheet 1). Topsoil did <br />not exist on the previously disturbed area on the south side of the Moffat <br />mining area. <br />On West Ridge, only a small amount of topsoil remained since this <br />area was mined previous to topsoil removal requirements (see Exhibit 9.3-1, <br />Sheet 2). Within the West Ridge Area there are three landowners. Topsoil <br />was replaced on at least the equivalent number of acres in each lease from <br />which it was removed. To increase the amount of live-handled topsoil, the <br />replacement was not necessarily in the same location as removal. <br />Either of two brushing methods were used to prepare an area for <br />topsoil salvage. The first method involved using a Madge Rotoclear to <br />incorporate woody and herbaceous plant materials into the upper soil <br />horizon. The other method utilized bulldozers to clear the topsoil of <br />standing vegetation which might interfere with topsoil salvage or future <br />4.3.2 SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS <br />use. <br />The Madge Rotoclear is a large, high-powered rototiller/mulcher which <br />chops the standing vegetation and incorporates it back into the soil. The <br />Madge Rotoclear brush incorporation method was preferred over the bulldozer <br />brush clearing method, since it provided several benefits to the future use <br />of the salvaged topsoil. Generally, the following benefits are realized: <br />1) Mulching-Incorporated vegetation adds significant amounts of <br />organic matter to the topsoil which acts as an extremely effective <br />mulch; <br />2) Volunteer Vegetation-The increased plant materials retained in the <br />topsoil provide native plant materials capable of both asexual and <br />• sexual propagation of plant species; <br />Renewal-3 9.3-1 June 13, 1997 <br />