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• (See Exhibit 22 -1 for the locations and designations of woody plant concentration sites.) <br />Woody plant density success will be evaluated on the basis of a performance standard. <br />As per CDRMS suggestion, it is requested that the overall woody plant density standard <br />for the II -W Mine will be 200 stems per acre. There are ten (10) fenced shrub plots <br />shown on Exhibit 22 -1, Postmine Vegetation Map. These fenced plots contain a variety <br />of woody plant species, including aspen. In the four (4) plots specifically identified as <br />concentrated aspen and shrub sites the density standard will be 945 stems per acre of <br />woody stems of which 150 will be aspen. In the four (4) fenced plots identified as <br />upland woody plant sites the density standard will be 945 woody plants per acre. The <br />standard for the two (2) riparian sites will be 945 woody riparian species per acre of <br />which at least 150 stems per acre will be tree species. The standard for the remaining <br />unfenced upland woody plant establishment sites will be 945 woody stems per acre. <br />Outside the bounds of the fenced plantings, woody plant development will be assessed <br />in extent upon the occasion of Phase III bond release testing. The commitment is that <br />areas with an average of at least 1000 stems per acre will comprise at least 10 percent <br />of the area outside fenced plantings at the II -W Mine. <br />Aspen is a specific species of concern, therefore within the shrub/ tree establishment <br />• plots; SCC has chosen four (4) locations for aspen planting. Within these specific <br />aspen plots 150 aspens per acre will be the success standard for aspen specifically. <br />These success standards may not reflect the ultimate goal of the reclaimed ecosystem <br />yet the plants will be in place for successional processes to eventually return the land to <br />a sustainable and balanced plant community. Based on the 2009 Musselman Report, <br />The Use of Landscape Fabric and Supplemental Irrigation to Enhance Survival and <br />Growth of Woody Perennials Planted on Reclaimed Surface Mine Lands, SCC presents <br />the following justification for establishing a density standard for aspen and woody <br />plants within the designated planting areas. <br />The study recommended a planting density of 5'x5' or 25 sq ft which would result in a <br />per acre planting density of 1740 stems per acre. This is a realistic planting rate when <br />mortality is considered. All woody stems, which include aspens, will be planted at the <br />1740 /acre rate inside the fenced area. This will be accomplished using the techniques <br />outlined in the revegetation plan which include direct seeding and seedling transplants. <br />In the Musselman research, the highest mortality of live planted seedlings was 45 % <br />where the competing biomass was high. Optimistically, the mortality rate will be <br />approximately 50% so the standard will be 150 stems per acre for seedling transplanted <br />aspen and 850 stems for all woody species. This is a reasonable assumption based on <br />experience with aspen planting at other Seneca mines. We <br />• <br />TR -70 58 Revised 08/ 11 <br />