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4.3 SOIL INVENTORY, SALVAGE AND STORAGE Critical to the establishment of permanent, diverse vegetation communities is the reconstmction of suitable plant growth mediums during the reclamation process. Soil reconstruction planning begins prior to initiation of disturbance activities through soil inventory and survey. Soil surveys provide qualitative and quantitative information on the types and sutrounts of material available within the area to be dismrbed. The United States Depamnent of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) soil surveys from the Ri~~ Blanco and Rifle areas were used to develop this section. These surveys will be a valuable resource during project development and operations. Inventories contain qualitative soils information that may be used to select appropriate methods and practices to be employed to ensure soil stability in restored azeas. Inventories allow the development of management plans for salvage, storage and reconstruction critical to successful restoration. Soil conservation activities in the field will be initiated after perimeter erosion and sediment controls have been established and prior to site development. Methods used to evaluate soil resources available withim the azeas to be disturbed, salvage and storage methods and practices, and reconstmctiion procedures are described below. Soils in the project area ate typically poorly developed due to low available moisture, cool temperatures and slow vegetative growth. Soil series to be disturbed by the various project components and their characteristics are presented in Table 2. The majotiiry of the soils to be disturbed are well drained with low to moderate water-holding capacities. A number of the soils have high percentages of rock fragments, while some are moderately u~ highly susceptible to erosion. A few of the soils are known to have alkalinity or salitriry problems. The high variability and generally poor development of soils, coupled with potentially limiting soil reconstruction characteristics, will need to be carefully considered and possibly evaluated in the field during the development of site-specific salvage plans. Salvage of the best-suited soil reconstruction materials is a key element to site stabilization and successful I~evegetation. Prior to disturbance, the perimeter of the area to be disturbed will be visibly marked with flagging, stakes or other appropriate visible markers. Salvage operations wiill remain inside the perimeter of the marked boundary. If differential handling of soil materials is to occur, areas requiring such handling will be clearly delineated (e.g., non-salvage or special handling azeas). Any woody vegetation within the area to be disturbed that has the potential to interfere with soil salvage, storage or reconstruction will be physically cleared. It will tither be physically removed from the area or chipped and spread across the soil surface prior G~ soil salvage as an organic amendment and mulch. Root systems will be left in place where feasible, as long as they do not pose a safety concern for workers or an impediment to equipment or tubber-tired vehicle access. Species present in the undisturbed plant community will be taken into consideration when determining how woody materials will be treated. If the predominant woody species aze known to contain objectionable levels of allelopathogens, the chipping and mulching alternative will not be exercised in order to avoid seedling establishment and. growth problems in permanent revegetation efforts. Areas with high concentrations of greasewood, juniper and rubber rabbitbtush will be avoided by mulch chipping operatior.~s. Woody materials that are removed from the immediate disturbance area will be used in a beneficial manner. Woody materials that are removed from the site may be used for a variety of purposes including but not limited to the following: Amcrir~n Soda, L1.P. 4-2 Soil Conservation. Emsion and Sedirrcnt Conwl, Reclamarion. and Revegetatron Plm Onober 28. 1998 Revised Apn19. 1999