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2006 Reclaimed Areas at the Seneca IIW Mine were also sampled in 2008, a year that was above <br />average in moisture, it is interesting to observe the changes in cover values between 2008 and 2013. <br />2013 was a year that was well below average in moisture for the previous twelve months (Figures 6b, 7a <br />and 7b) but grew closer to but never equaling average in the period of the previous four to six months <br />(Figures 8b and 9b). Total cover by annuals fell between 2008 and 2013 from 30.8% to 4.4 %. Native <br />perennial forbs nearly doubled in cover over the period and native perennial cool season grass cover <br />remained the same. Shrub cover rose from 0.2% in 2008 to 3.0% in 2013. Overall cover by introduced <br />perennial cool season grasses did not increase greatly from 0.3% in 2008 to 0.5% in 2013. Total species <br />density fell from 26.8 species per 100 sq.m. in 2008 to 25.6 species per 100 sq.m. in 2013.. <br />Herbaceous Production <br />Observed production values and derivation of the 2013 herbaceous production standard are compiled / <br />documented in the table below: <br />Seneca IIW 2013 <br />Vegetation Type <br />Mean Herbaceous Production <br />(Ib /ac)' <br />% of Affected Area <br />Sagebrush /Snowberry' <br />704.7 <br />31.3 <br />Mountain Brush' <br />692.3 <br />34.5 <br />Aspen Woodland' <br />1183.0 <br />11.0 <br />Steep Mountain Brush b <br />503.2 <br />12.8 <br />Alkali Sage/West Whtgrs. <br />239.1 <br />10.4 <br />2006 Reclamation Area <br />445.0 <br />NA <br />' Seneca IIW extended reference area values from data collected in 2013 <br />b Seneca IIW extended reference area values from data collected in 2012 <br />As corrected for "allowable" annual and biennial production (i.e., no more than 10 percent of total <br />production allowed, See CDMG 1995, 1.IV.A) Production by noxious weed species, if any, also <br />subtracted. <br />Herbaceous production performance standard (weighted by percent of affected area) = 678.8 lb/ac. <br />90 percent of performance standard = 0.9 x 678.8 = 610.9 lb/ac <br />As can be seen in Figure 2, the observed herbaceous production in the 2006 Reclaimed Area falls below <br />the production standard, though the total remains within the 90% confidence limit. <br />WE <br />