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' directly account for the increased mortality of plants in the treatment plots. Rooting depth does <br />not appear to be a cause of mortality for either treatment. <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />I~ <br />I <br />I <br />i~ <br />Plant Competition. The dominant factor limiting shrub establishment at Seneca II Mine is <br />assumed to be plant competition. Total competing plant cover at the end of three years was 8.6% <br />and 8.3% for the no-topsoil and topsoil treatments respectively (Table B-3). Topsoil application <br />did not increase the cover of competing species on the site. The dominant species on both the <br />no-topsoil and topsoil treatment plots is Canada thistle. Canada thistle forms lazge spreading <br />clones across both sites. Despite the presence ofthis species, it has a relatively open canopy and <br />should not compete with shrubs for Light. Grass competition has been traditionally controlled by <br />application of a herbicide and made up a very minor portion of the cover (<1.0%) in both <br />treatments. Given the overall low canopy cover measured, substantial competition for soil <br />moisture is not anticipated to be a major factor in shrub mortality. <br />Table B-3. Com etin lant cover on to soil and no-to soil treatments. <br />Treatment Tota! Competing <br />Cover (%) Forb Cover <br />(%) Grass Cover <br />(%) Dominant Species <br />No-Topsoil Treatment 8.6 7.4 0.7 Canada thistle <br />Topsoil Treatment 8.3 8.1 0.2 Canada thistle <br />14 <br />