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the vegetative. cover. Due to the establishment and maintenance <br />of an 808 vegetative ground cover without further irrigation, <br />these plots were considered to be highly successful and are con- <br />sidered the best demonstration to date of the establishment of <br />r--- - <br />a productive vegetation cover on processed shale. The most suc- <br />cessful species are Russian wildrye, crested wheatgrass, pubescent <br />wheatgrass, fourwing saltbush, western wheatgrass, hand fescue, <br />tall wheatgrass and streambank wheatgrass. Several of these <br />species notably crested wheatgrass, pubescent wheatgrass, and <br />fourwing saltbush have been very successful in invading other <br />areas within the plots. <br />In 1972, Dr. Berg. designed the 1972 Species Plots with East and <br />West Replications. These plots are laid out on a west facing <br />4:1 slope. Each plot contains five treatments and a disturbed ~,U /,,,.~ <br />soil/subsoil control. The treatments are six feet of processed ,~ <br />shale, six inches of soil over five and one-half feet of processed ., <br />shale, two feet of soil over four feet of processed shale, and <br />• one foot of a mixture of equal parts of soil and processed shale 9 <br />/. <br />over five feet of processed shale. Approximately twenty separate ~,~' <br />species and a mixture of several species were planted in rows ~r~'~ <br />crossing each treatment. The plots were fertilized, hydromulched, ~..~ <br />leached and irrigated for three growing seasons. In July of 1974, l <br />the species showing the best growth on processed shale were fourwing <br />saltbush, alkali sacaton, seepweed, crested wheatgrass and Russian <br />wildrye. These species have continued to grow for the past five ,, ~' <br />years without subsequent irrigation or fertilization. Sand drop- <br />seed and streambank wheatgrass have shown progressively good <br />growth and cover during the past five years. <br />In the summer of 1972, the Plateau Plots were constructed on <br />the east ridge of Bear Cabin Gulch at 8300 feet. This study <br />was initated after it was decided to move the disposal area to <br />the plateau due to the environmental constraints of the arid <br />canyon bottom site. Three treatments were used in the Plateau <br /> <br />E-21 <br />