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Climax Mine <br />Tree Transglanting Project Summary <br />August-October 2005 <br />Climax Mine initiated an innovative transplanting project during 2005 to utilize native plant <br />materials located within that area of the Tenmile Tailings Impoundment being developed for the <br />sludge settling cells construction project. Climax Mine contracted with Habitat Management, <br />Inc. and Colorado Tree Spade Services to evaluate the soils, equipment access and potential plant <br />materials available for digging, moving and transplanting of trees, shrubs and grasses from the <br />construction area to selected locations on the Robinson Tailings Impoundment and around E- <br />dump. <br />Digging activities were initiated in August 2005 after the selected trees and shrubs had <br />completed their seasonal growth and were hardening off the new growth and setting terminal <br />buds for the 2006 growing season. A variety of tree spade sizes were used to result in root balls <br />ranging in size from 24 inches to 60 inches in diameter. Due to dry soil conditions and prior to <br />digging, the trees and shrubs were drip imgated by placing containers of water around the <br />particular tree or shrub to be dug. Smaller root balls received 25 gallons of water while large <br />root balls received up to 150 gallons. Tree spades were used to dig the plant material and place it <br />in a burlap-lined wire basket for transportation to the transplanting site. The trees and shrubs <br />were transported by flat-bed truck to the Robinson Tailings Impoundment area. Approximately <br />70 sub-alpine fir trees were dug and transported from the Shoshone National Forest near Baggs, <br />Wyoming. The tree source was located at approximately 10,500 feet elevation which is similar <br />to the Robinson Tailings Impoundment elevation. <br />A backhoe was used to excavate a receiving hole in the rock cover on the capped Robinson <br />Tailings Impoundment area and haul road. The receiving hole was excavated to the contact with <br />the tailings material. The transplant was placed in the hole and backfilled with a mixture of <br />topsoil and composted biosolids. Mycorrhizal fungal innoculant and polyacrylamide polymer <br />amendments were added to the backfill soil prior to irrigating the transplants. A 4,000 gallon <br />water truck was used to settle [he backfilled soil and irrigate the transplants, once immediately <br />after planting and a final imgation in late September and early October. Trees over six feet tall <br />were staked and wired to withstand strong wind gusts that may exceed 50 mph. Staking and wire <br />materials were used in such a manner as to minimize girdling. Climax will remove the wires in <br />2006 or 2007. <br />Plant specific data were collected from each transplant including a GPS location, species, height, <br />width (shrubs), diameter breast height (trees) and survival. Several trees were killed by bull elk <br />after transplanting. Table 3 contains a summary of the transplanted species and their average <br />size. Englemann spruce and sub-alpine fir heights ranged from 2 to 25 feet. Willows, birches, <br />currents and wetland sod species were generally less than 3 feet tall. The following photographs <br />show the digging, transporting and planting operations. <br />