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2 <br />the effect of overburden quality (Stark and Redente 1990, Barth <br />1984, Redente et al. 1982, Power et al. 1981, Bauer et al. 1978a, <br />1978b) on plant growth. However, most studies have been short term <br />in nature and have reported on the influence of topsoil and <br />overburden characteristics on initial plant community development. <br />Few long-term studies (>5 years) have been reported in the <br />literature but are needed to provide insight into plant community <br />dynamics over time. <br />The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of <br />soil replacement depth and mechanical treatment of soil and spoil <br />on plant community dynamics over ten growing seasons. <br />MATERIALS AND METSODB <br />• Test plots were constructed at an active surface coal mine <br /> operated by Trapper Mining, Inc. (Redente and Hargis 1985). The <br />mine is in Moffat County, Colorado, 11 km southwest of Craig, at an <br />elevation of 1980 m. The natural vegetation type is a sagebrush- <br />grass community that occurs on soils that are approximately 35 cm <br />deep (A and B horizons). Annual precipitation at the site averages <br />45 cm and approximately half is received as snow. <br />The study area was strip mined in 1979 and recontoured in <br />1980. In September 1980, a 0.9 ha area was divided into four <br />blocks, each of which was sub-divided into 20, 10.7 X 10.7 ra plots <br />(Redente and Hargis 1985). Two experimental factors, 1) soil <br />thickness and 2) mechanical and fertilizer treatments, were <br />arranged as a 4 x 5 factorial on each block in a split-block design <br />• (Little and Hills 1978, Steel and Torrie 1980). Soil depths were <br />