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S II. Best growth appeared to be on natural root segment sprouts on roto - cleared soil for the <br />first year. Transplanted trees grew well after the first year's transplant shock. <br />III. Transplanted sprouts showed considerable transplant injury their first year, regardless <br />of irrigation treatment in this relatively wet. Growth and survival was relatively low and <br />diseases were higher in transplant cutting plots compared to natural sprouts and potted <br />plants. Recovery of surviving transplant trees was good and growth was good the second <br />year. <br />IV. Potted aspen from nursery stock planted on dozer - cleared soil grew well and had high <br />survival the first year. <br />V. Fencing is necessary to protect small aspen trees from browsing injury. <br />EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES/METHODOLOGIES FOR 2007 <br />Study Design: <br />Based on the important finding for 2005 -2006 summarized above, several new questions <br />regarding aspen growth and survival on reclaimed lands arose, and follow -up research <br />was conducted using the same II -W Mine plots where the 2005 -2006 study was <br />conduced. Our intention was to utilize the existing study design and sampling regime to <br />collect third year survival and growth data from trees sampled in 2005 -2006. OSM <br />funding was used for data collection during 2007 and for data analysis and preparation of <br />the final report. Details of operation of the irrigation system, types of planted aspen <br />studied and sampling procedures remained as previously described. Deviations and <br />additions to the original study design are described below. <br />Irrigation Treatments: <br />Based on findings from 2005 and the higher than normal rainfall, irrigation treatments <br />were applied differently during the 2006 and 2007 growing seasons. Treatments were <br />applied at 0.0, 0. 15, 0.3, or 0.6 gallons each day of treatment, one -half the rate applied in <br />2005. Irrigation treatments were to be continued throughout the growing season. Because <br />of evidence of saline condition of the irrigation water supply during 2005 - 2006, clean <br />potable water from a <br />Hayden, CO, hydrant was used to irrigate the trees in 2007. <br />Growth of transplanted rooted sprouts in the second and third year: Some of the <br />transplanted aspen in the irrigation plots had apparent dead tops after the first year. It was <br />expected that some of these could grow back from root sprouts. We examined survival <br />and re -growth of these trees that died back from injury or disease the first year. It was <br />• expected that surviving plants would do well in the second year following first year <br />