Patterns of Natural Revegetation in Arid Southeastern Utah

Abstract

Current and pending legislation will require that lands disturbed by mining activities be revegetated. Since few adapted species are now available for reclamation of such lands in the arid zone, this study was initiated to identify native species that are successful colonizers of disturbed sites. The native vegetation of bladed roadways in the Kane County, Utah, was sampled to identify natural colonizer species. Sixteen successful colonizers have been identified and studied to determine (1) their relative colonizing efficiency, and (2) their individual responses to elevational, soil textural, and other environmental gradients. The species fall into two natural groups: one group is well adapted to lower benchlands with sandy clay loam soils and the other is adapted to upper benchlands with sandy loam soils. Some of the species that appear to be most successful in initially revegetating disturbed areas include: (1) upper benchlands-Indian ricegrass, galleta grass, sand aster, pepperweed, broom snakeweed, small-leaf scarlet globemallow, and blue locoweed; (2) lower benchlands-shadscale, desert molly, cut-leaf globemallow, and pink locoweed.