Biodegradable trap and skeet targets acidified and salinized soils at a former shooting range in Florence, MT. These conditions leached lead from shot pellets and inhibited plant establishment. We tested the capacity of various soil amendments to increase soil fertility, promote grass establishment, and limit pollutant mobility. Lime, compost, biochar, chitin, and phosphorous were added in different combinations to contaminated soils in a greenhouse experiment. Soils were left to equilibrate for three weeks and then were planted with Slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus). At harvest, we measured plant biomass and performed a soil chemical analysis. The addition of lime increased the soil pH to tolerable levels for plants but did not improve grass germination. The combination of lime and organic amendments increased soil fertility and plant growth. Compost, biochar, and chitin treatments individually increased the water holding capacity and were partly responsible for increasing plant growth. These results demonstrate that soils with mixed contamination require site-specific restoration strategies.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.