Discusses the desertification rate of arid and semi-arid lands and the limitations of their restoration. Uses a recontoured coal mine in SW Wyoming as a study site, and reviews innoculation of VA mycorrhizal fungi and succession in a disturbed landscape. Results show the natural dispersion of the spores to be great enough to be useful in detecting infection in the roots of the Agropyron species within 1-3 yr. -S.J.Yates.