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TECHNICAL REPORT
Ecosystem Restoration

Revegetation of an Abandoned Uranium Millsite on the Colorado Plateau, Arizona

^a Environmental Sciences Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, 2597 B 3/4 Rd., Grand Junction, CO 81503
^b Environmental Research Laboratory, University of Arizona, 2601 E. Airport Drive, Tucson, AZ 85721

* Corresponding author (jody.waugh{at}doegjpo.com)

Received for publication June 19, 2000. We attempted to restore native plants on disturbed sites at a former uranium mill on the Colorado Plateau near Tuba City, AZ. Four-wing saltbush [Atriplex canescens (Pursh) Nutt.] was successfully established in compacted caliche soil and in unconsolidated dune soil when transplants were irrigated through the first summer with 20 L/plant/wk. The caliche soil was ripped before planting to improve water-holding capacity. The diploid saltbush variety, angustifolia, had higher survival and growth than the common tetraploid variety, occidentalis, especially on dune soil. The angustifolia variety grew to 0.3 to 0.4 m³ per plant over 3 yr even though irrigation was provided only during the establishment year. By contrast, direct seeding of a variety of native forbs, grasses, and shrubs yielded poor results, despite supplemental irrigation throughout the first summer. In this arid environment (precipitation = 100 to 200 mm/yr), the most effective revegetation strategy is to establish keystone native shrubs, such as four-wing saltbush, using transplants and irrigation during the establishment year, rather than attempting to establish a diverse plant community all at once.

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