Laserfiche WebLink
• ungulate and small mammal consumption. Serviceberry planted on reclaimed mine <br />overburden had lower survival when plants were fertilized (Williams et al. 2004). <br />Serviceberry planted on reclaimed mine lands in northeastern Washington survived well <br />but growth was slow and did not respond to nutrient supply (Voeller et al. 1998). <br />Serviceberry, like aspen, depends on sprouting for reproduction, is difficult to start <br />from seedlings, and has been shown to be difficult to reproduce on reclaimed mine lands <br />(Agnew 1992). Movement of topsoil containing roots for sprouting to the reclaimed site <br />(livehauling), or transplanting of native plants, provided for the best establishment on <br />reclaimed mine lands (Agnew 1992). The influence of competing vegetation on <br />establishment of serviceberry on reclaimed lands has not been studied. <br />It seems reasonable to conclude that removal of competing vegetation and <br />supplemental irrigation of trees and shrubs planted on reclaimed surface-mined lands <br />could increase initial survival and allow the plants to grow sufficient root systems to <br />ultimately survive without additional water on reclaimed mine lands. Planting equipment <br />is available that can be pulled behind a tractor. The equipment plants woody perennials <br />• and lays down a weed-barrier landscape fabric. Although commonly used for windbreak <br />planting in the Midwest and for planting crops such as strawberries in California, as far as <br />we know this equipment has not been used for re-vegetation of reclaimed surface coal <br />mine lands. We studied this method of planting to gain knowledge about the feasibility of <br />adopting the method to successfully re-vegetate aspen and serviceberry on reclaimed <br />soils. Our objective was to identify factors that potentially limit re-establishment and are <br />crucial to reproduce trees and shrubs on surface-mined lands in the semi-arid west. The <br />study is applicable nation-wide where competition from herbaceous vegetation limits <br />reproduction of woody perennials on re-vegetated surface coal mine lands. <br />Preliminary Pilot Study <br />A pilot study has been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of supplemental <br />irrigation on growth and survival of transplanted aspen sapling trees, where the <br />experimental conditions allowed observation on several additional variables. In addition <br />to irrigation (four levels of watering), we were able to observe growth and survival of <br />• aspen of different plant type (transplants, natural sprouts, or potted plants), soil type