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Climax Mine <br />2005 & 2006 Tree Transplanting Summary <br />Overview <br />Climax Mine initiated an innovative transplanting project during 2005 to utilize native <br />plant materials located within the disturbance footprint of the 10-Mile pond lime plant and <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 mine. <br />Due to the success of these efforts in 2005, the tree transplanting program was continued <br />in 2006. Trees growing on an old topsoil stock pile neaz the Mayflower Tailings Pond as well as <br />trees located in a bone yazd behind the Pond Shop were removed and transplanted onto Robinson <br />Tailings Pond, along Billy Blvd., and on the slopes of E Dump. <br />Digging activities were initiated in August 2006 after the selected trees and shrubs had <br />completed their seasonal growth and were hazdening off the new growth and setting terminal <br />buds for the 2007 growing season. A variety of tree spade sizes were used to result in root balls <br />ranging is size from 24 inches to 60 inches in diameter. Due to dry soil conditions, the trees were <br />sprinkler irrigated prior to digging and in some cases were hose irrigated during digging. Tree <br />spades were used to dig the plant material and place it in a burlap-lined wire basket for <br />transportation to the transplanting site. The trees and shrubs were transported by flat-bed truck to <br />transplant areas. <br />A backhoe was used W excavate a receiving hole in the rock cover. The receiving hole <br />was excavated to the contact with the tailings material. The transplant was placed in the hole and <br />backfilled with a mixture of topsoil and composted biosolids. Myconhizal fungal innoculant and <br />polyacrylamide polymer amendments were added to the backfill soil prior to irrigating the <br />transplants. Both 2005 and 2006 transplants were irrigated once in 2006, the smaller root balls <br />received approximately 25 gallons of water while lazge root balls received up to 150 gallons. <br />Trees over six feet tall were staked and wired to withstand strung wind gusts that may exceed 50 <br />mph. Staking and wire materials were used in such a manner as to minimize girdling. Climax <br />will remove the wires in 2007 or 2008. <br />Plant specific data were collected from each 2006 transplant including a GPS location, <br />species, height, width (shrubs), diameter breast height (DBH, trees) and survival. Additionally, <br />all 2005 transplants were revisited and their survival status was updated to determine second yeaz <br />survival rates. Height, width, DBH were not remeasured in the second year, but will be in the <br />third yeaz. A summary of data collected in both 2005 and 2006 are included below as well as 2- <br />yeaz trends. <br />2005 Transplants <br />In 2005, 513 trees and 110 shrubs were transplanted at Climax including 548 on <br />Robinson Tailings pond, 23 in McNulty Gulch (Figure 1), and 52 along the haul road (Figure 2). <br />