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In all cases, vegetative production will be reported and evaluated as herbaceous production. Hay cropland will be <br />evaluated by comparing the reclaimed hay cropland area sampling results to a performance standard derived from <br />• Routt County Historical Cropland Statistics. <br />TCC plans to utilize three reference areas previously established in conjunction with vegetation baseline data <br />collection for Permit No. 79 -177 by CYCC. The reference areas are approximately 2.5 to 3 acres in size and were <br />established in locations closely resembling the sites, which have been, and will be disturbed by the surface <br />disturbance associated with the underground mining at the Foidel Creek Mine. Soils, slope, aspect, vegetation, and <br />general appearance, were the criteria used to select representative reference area locations, as shown on Map 18, <br />Premining Vegetation. CYCC continued to maintain and monitor these reference areas until all lands reclaimed <br />under Permit No. 79 -177 (current permit C -81 -071) were released from bond. Thereafter, TCC assumed <br />responsibility for the management and sampling of reference areas. Reference areas will be managed in the same <br />manner as revegetated tracts during the last two years of the reclamation liability period. <br />Sampling Intensity - Consistent with the on -going revegetation monitoring and sampling program for the Foidel <br />Creek Mine, quantitative cover and production sampling will be conducted at sample locations using the methods <br />described in the following sections for each sampling parameter. A statistically adequate number of cover, <br />production, and woody plant density sample locations for the reclaimed areas will be randomly located during <br />revegetation success evaluations. Similarly, statistically adequate random sampling for cover and production will <br />be conducted for the appropriate established reference areas. The sampling intensity will use the following sample <br />protocols: <br />• Fifteen (15) minimum cover sample locations in the established reference area <br />• Fifteen (15) minimum cover samples randomly selected within the reclaimed area <br />If it is determined that additional sampling for the above parameters is needed to achieve sample adequacy, <br />•additional samples of successively higher number will be randomly located and sampled within the reclaimed or <br />reference areas. The additional need for sampling will be assessed from data for the initial 15 samples and, as <br />necessary following this initial evaluation, until sample adequacy is achieved or the specified maximum number of <br />samples is collected. In this latter case, statistical testing in accordance with Sections 4.15.11(2)(c) or 4.15.11(3)(a- <br />c) is to be applied, based on these maximum sampling intensities. <br />Cover Sampling — Cover will be sampled using the preferred point- intercept method oriented on a 50 -meter <br />transect line, but may not be limited to that method as per Section 4.15.11(1)(a)(ii) and (iii), and as approved in <br />consultation with CDRMS. Percent cover values to be assessed include; percent cover by plant species, percent <br />total vegetation cover, percent litter, percent standing dead, percent rock, percent bare ground, and percent total <br />cover (vegetation plus litter, standing dead, and rock). The point- intercept method allows for layered hits if <br />additional species occur below first hit interceptions. This allows for measuring stratified vegetative cover and <br />provides a more accurate measure of species composition. <br />Along each sample transect, the presence of less common species not hit during the point- intercept sampling will be <br />documented by recording the presence of all additional plant species occurring within one -meter on either side of <br />the sample transect line. Thus, from each 50 -meter cover sample transect, a general measure of species "density" <br />can be expressed as the number of individual species per 100 square meters, which can be useful for assessing <br />species richness and diversity measures. <br />"First Hit" percent cover at every sample location will be calculated for each plant species as well as rock, bare soil, <br />and litter, by dividing the total number of intercepts for each category by the total number of points (100). Relative <br />plant cover will be calculated by dividing the "First Hit" cover points for each plant species by the total "First Hit" <br />vegetation cover points. "All Hit" percent cover will be calculated for each plant species by dividing the total <br />number of hits on a species ( "First Hits" plus "Other Hits" occurring in a stratified canopy) by the total number of <br />sample points. Relative All Hit cover will be calculated by dividing the "All Hit" cover for each species by the <br />total "All Hit" vegetative cover points. <br />RN08 -05 2.05 -116 03/12/10 <br />