Effects of Cropping Sequence on Pipeline Reclamation in Western North Dakota.

Soil disturbance during the construction of pipelines, roadways, and well pads has become a serious issue in western North Dakota. Within cropland, soil health and yields need to be restored during the reclamation process. Reclamation of pipelines in a cropland setting has not been extensively researched and little is known about the best management practices for restoring crop yields. During the spring of the 2015, installation of a 36” water pipeline was completed at the Williston-REC. We took advantage of this opportunity by planting a long-term experiment with five annual crop rotations and two perennial covers in pipeline, roadway, and undisturbed (control) areas. We would like to determine best practices under dryland no-till conditions that reclaim severely disturbed cropland.  Penetrometer readings and soil fertility tests were recorded to assess changes is physical and chemical soil properties. Harvested yield was sampled for all annual cropping rotations and biomass was sampled for all perennial rotations. Preliminary results showed that soil compaction was much higher in roadway area as compared to pipeline and undisturbed areas. Significantly lower yields and biomass were observed under disturbed (pipeline and roadway) conditions than under undisturbed conditions. Future sampling will compare effects of individual crop rotations and disturbance area on soil properties and crop yields.