ent on a reclaimed area will depend to a large degree on a range of soil physical, chemical, and biological vari-Soil quality and the ability of soil to sustain nutrient cycling in drasables (National Research Council, 1994) and the severe tically disturbed ecosystems will influence the establishment and maintenance of a permanent and stable plant community. We undertook perturbations that occur in the strip mining process can research to evaluate a recently developed method to assess soil quality severely impact these variables. and nutrient cycling potential in a series of reclaimed soils. The method Arid and semiarid soils are characteristically low in involves correlating the 3-d flush of microbial respiration after a soil SOM and nutrients (Jenny, 1930) and this inherently is rewetted against a range of soil biological parameters. Soils were low soil fertility is further reduced by the mining process. sampled from a number of reclaimed coal mines, a reclaimed uranium In this process, the surface layers of soil (typically the mine, and native, undisturbed prairie. All sites were located in semiarid A ϩ B horizons) are removed, potentially stored for a Wyoming. Soils were dried at 55؇C, rewetted, and microbial respiration period of time in large stockpiles where plant inputs are measured at 3 d (Cmin 0-3d ) and 21 d (Cmin 0-21d ). In addition, microbial often minimal (particularly at depth), and then respread biomass C (MBC), N mineralization (Nmin 0-21d ), soil organic C (SOC), over regraded spoil material on these reconstructed sites. and total N were also measured. Correlations between Cmin 0-3d and the measured soil parameters in reclaimed and native soils were generally Soils are further altered, especially physically, during strong (r 2 Ն 0.45) and highly significant (P ϭ 0.0001). Differences seedbed preparation. All of these operations result in the between reclaimed and native soils were observed, with native soils destruction of aggregates (Abdul-Kareem and McRae, exhibiting more variability, possibly due to: differences in soil homog-1984) leading to the rapid mineralization and subseeneity/heterogeneity, the relative lability of the substrates present; quent decline of SOC. This loss of soil C is further exdifferent microbial communities; and differences in soil structural propacerbated by the additional dilution of C and nutrients erties. Correlations between Cmin 0-3d and the measured soil paramwhen the soils are salvaged and respread, as the much eters in spoil material, while significant, were less well correlated. We greater concentration of C and nutrients present in the believe this method is a relatively fast, accurate, and economical means A horizon are mixed with the B horizon. There is little by which soil quality and nutrient cycling can be ascertained. We in the way of literature as to the amount of SOC/SOM estimated that a minimum concentration of 0.52% SOC or 0.89% soil organic matter (SOM) is necessary to sustain an adequate level of