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RESEARCH NEEDS <br />Big Sagebrush Seeding and Transplanting Costs <br />Further research is needed to find cost- effective methods for Wyoming big <br />sagebrush establishment and survival. Current seeding methods, following many of the <br />preceding recommendations, may add as much as $0.05 per ton ($0.055 per metric ton) <br />of coal produced, which is substantial considering that Powder River Basin coal is selling <br />on the spot market for less than $3.50 per ton ($3.85 per metric ton). Contracts are won <br />or lost by as little as five cents per ton of coal. <br />Transplanting and seeding costs are a substantial part of the total reclamation <br />costs. The cost of transplanting containerized stock can be more than $2.00 per stem. It <br />would require 809 stems per acre (2,022/hectare) or $1,618.00 per acre ($4,045.00/ha) to <br />meet the regulatory requirement of one shrub per square meter over 20% of the area just <br />for planting only the big sagebrush. <br />Seeding costs are much less than transplanting but at a much greater risk of <br />establishment failure. One 1999 contracted seed price for Wyoming big sagebrush was <br />just over $32.00 per PLS pound ($70.40/kg). At a seeding rate of one -half pound PLS <br />per acre (0.625 kg/ha), the cost for the seed alone would be $3.52 per acre ($8.80/ha) for <br />the shrub density requirement of 20% of the area. This does not include the cost of <br />planting, which, when including seedbed preparation, seeding, and mulching, will <br />approach $500.00 per acre ($1,250.00/ha). Recent research has been recommending 3-8 <br />PLS pounds per acre (3.4 — 9.1 kg/ha) seeded for best results. Six PLS pounds (6.82 <br />kg/ha) of big sagebrush seed at the current price is $192.00 per acre ($480.00/ha) or <br />$38.00 per acre ($96.00/ha) plus seeding costs for 20% of the area. It is clear the costs of <br />planting materials alone for big sagebrush become quite high considering the <br />establishment success that has been achieved. It is imperative to find more efficient and <br />cost - effective ways of meeting the shrub density and vegetative performance <br />requirements of the Wyoming Land Quality Division's Coal Rules and Regulations. <br />Next Generation of Research <br />Research in two basic areas is needed. Are there new cultural practices for <br />establishing big sagebrush that have not yet been explored? What are the costs and <br />economics of those cultural practices and methodologies that are, or will be, proven to <br />result in big sagebrush stand establishment? How can these costs be improved? <br />Different types of cultural practices to ensure seed germination and seedling <br />survival each year should be explored. Cultural practices may include, but are not limited <br />to, soil chemical and physical characteristic modifications, surface manipulation, <br />mulches, cover crops, and even heavy livestock grazing. <br />What are the soil chemical characteristics that drive big sagebrush germination <br />and establishment? Are there nutrient characters such as organic matter or nitrogen that <br />