That’s some tough undergrowth! I was born in a town with a smelter. The smelter closed in 1972 and the desert has recovered since then pretty completely. Not having SO2 pumped into the air helps. It was a pretty neat looking old plant though. It had had a machine shop that could make most anything as the railroad had steam locomotives and the rest of the mine used equipment that was out of date.
Mother Nature is nothing, if not resilient. The plants that survive the initial poisoning, often regrow and flourish with severe mutations. I’ve seen it in desert cactus, sage and scrub brushes, and even in orchids.