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• <br /> Trees and Shrubs <br /> As a general rule in the future, trees and shrubs will not be <br /> planted at the mine except in specific selected areas which, at <br /> this time, have not been identified. Areas in which trees may <br /> be planted are those listed in Appendix D in which forestry (FR) <br /> is the secondary selected land use. <br /> Past tree plantings at the mine have been neither cost effective <br /> nor highly successful. The environmental extremes and stresses <br /> of high attitude, poor soils, and short to non-existent growing <br /> seasons limit survival and constrains growth of trees and shrubs <br /> planted on Climax mine disturbances . Areas along and above <br /> Colorado Highway 91 north of the mine/mill complex which were <br /> timbered in the late 1800 ' s show little sign of new timber <br /> growth; graphic testimony to the reality of tree growth rates on <br /> the Climax property. When trees are planted, the species prob- <br /> ably will be Engelmann spruce (the prevailing forest type on the <br /> property ) and lodgepole pine (at lower elevations ) at a planting <br /> rate of 150-300 per acre depending on the site. <br /> Shrub plantings presently are envisioned to the extent of <br /> • attempting to establish willow growth along the relocated <br /> Arkansas River channel (Appendix D; Map ID area D1 ) . Willow <br /> cuttings have been utilized in the past on moist sites at Climax <br /> with a fair degree of success . The use of shrub seed ( as <br /> opposed to seedling plantings ) on disturbed high altitude sites <br /> is an area which Climax may research in the future. <br /> Topsoil <br /> Topsoil is a valuable resource in short supply at the Climax <br /> Mine. As per the existing permit specifications, topsoil has <br /> been stockpiled since 1978 during periods of expansion of the <br /> McNulty dump complex and the Mayflower tailing pond and con- <br /> struction of the haul road underpass in 1988. Presently, there <br /> are eight topsoil stockpiles around the property (Appendix B ) <br /> containing approximately 250, 000 cubic yards. This amount will <br /> cover 155 acres with topsoil 12" deep, 310 acres with topsoil 6" <br /> deep , or 465 acres with topsoil 4" deep (generally the minimum <br /> depth for efficiency with heavy equipment ) . <br /> Future topsoil salvage will proceed in front of any site or <br /> operation development or expansions . When such expansions <br /> occur, salvaged topsoil will be deposited on existing or new <br /> stockpiles . These piles will be reshaped to control loss to <br /> water erosion and seeded with the Climax seed mix as in the past <br /> on the existing stockpiles. <br /> • <br /> E-5 <br />