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<br /> <br />verified by tree growth on the Tract 1 area of the Queen's Canyon Quarry, although <br />such a comparison is questionably valid because of considerable differences in <br />microclimate and growth medium compositim between this site and the Tract 1 area. <br />The vertical elevation difference in the area to be benched is about 200 feet <br />while the horizontal distance is about 500 feet. An average bench length of 325 <br />feet was used. A wall height of 30 feet was used for the lift of each bench. From <br />this it is determined that 7 benches would be produced with an average width of 71 <br />feet and a total bench area of 3.71 acres. <br />Based upon the backfill depth and width of the benches, it was calculated the <br />surface of the fill would slope 4.03 degrees. If a minimum medium depth of 3 feet <br />is selected as suitable for tree growth (i. e. trees would be planted where the <br />medium is 3 or more feet deep), there is a total of 3.62 acres suitable for tree <br />growth, including the 1.4 acres under the South Peak. If the minirtum depth is taken <br />at 2 feet then 4.37 acres is available. An average of the 3 foot minimum and 2 foot <br />minimum calculations produces an area of 4 acres where the growth medium would be <br />suitable for tree establishment and growth to adult dimensions. <br />The next portion of the model (page 2) calculates the available water capacity <br />of the growth medium. The current soils, assuming an average depth of 10 inches, <br />has a gross available water capacity of 0.94 inches. This is calculated from data <br />in the SCS Soil Survey of E1 Paso County. For the sake of calculations the mean <br />value of the current soils was used as the available water capacity of the final <br />plant growth medium (0.094 inches of available water per inch of depth). The water <br />consumption levels of the vegetation was based on the proportions of biomass in the <br />three physiognomic components of the community. It was estimated that 70% of the <br />living biomass is in the trees, ZO% in the shrubs, and 10% in the grasses and fortis. <br />Thus a division of the total available water capacity of the soil, based on biomass <br />proportions, resulted in 0.658 inches consumed by trees, 0.188 inches consumed by <br />shrubs, and 0.094 inches consumed by grasses and fortis. Because the vegetation has <br />not been harvested to determine actual biomass proportions and because the water <br />needs of the individual species are not actually known, the biomass proportion is <br />the only available basis for predicting the available water budget in the community. <br />Based upon the final growth medium depths and keeping biomass proportions the <br />same in the mature community resulting from revegetation, it was determined that of <br />the 3.7788 inches of maximum available water in the plant growth medium (assuming a <br />mean depth of 3.5 feet) the trees would have available 2.7636 inches, the shrubs <br />0.78% inches, and the grasses 0.2256 inches, with an excess amount of water of <br />PACE 2 TREE P'DDEI_ SM'DER NW AhFAmhII~IT EVIDENCE <br />