The effects of replaced surface soil depth on establishment of seeded grass/legume vegetation and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) was investigated on study plots at the Judy Creek Test Mine from 1979 to 1983. Nine plots representing replicates of three treatments of soil depth (O cm, 30 cm and 70 cm) were established in a randomized block design. A Grey Luvisol surface soil with mixed A and B horizons was placed over a till subsoil . The till material , based on pre-study analysis , showed no inhibitory properties to plant growth.
Results of five years of study indicate that vegetation cover was continually higher on the O cm treatment than on either the 30 cm or 70 cm
treatments . Differences in total cover were most pronounced during the first three years of study and decreased with succeeding years . The Alfalfa component of the revegetation seed mixture was the major contributor to total cover on the O cm plots due to the slightly alkaline soil conditions on this treatment .
Effects of Replaced Surface Soil Depth on Reclamation Success at the Judy Creek Test Mine
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