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Keenesburg Mine 2014 Vegetation Monitoring Report <br />46 %), the decrease in cool season grasses was much larger (19% to 3.8 %). This suggests that the <br />same decline in cool season species is likely occurring in this area as well. The seed mixture used <br />in Area 31 was slightly different from that used in Area 30 and favored warm season grasses <br />91% to 9 %. <br />Table 9: Reclamation Area 13 Relative Cover Trends 2012 — 2014 <br />Life Form <br />Relative over M <br />2012 <br />2014 <br />Cool Season Perennial Grasses <br />19.0 <br />3.8 <br />Warm Season Perennial Grasses <br />58.2 <br />46.2 <br />Cheat grass <br />18.4 <br />24.5 <br />Annual Introduced Forbs <br />0.6 <br />8.0 <br />6.2 Herbaceous Production <br />Based on the results of the herbaceous production sampling, Reclamation Areas 30 and 31 both <br />fell short of the production success standard calculated value (Table 10). <br />Table 10: Herbaceous Production Success Standard Comparison <br />Herbaceous Production <br />( M2) <br />Reclamation <br />Area 30 <br />Reclamation <br />Area 31 <br />Mean <br />120.0 <br />101.6 <br />Mean (minus noxious) <br />114.9 <br />97.7 <br />St Dev <br />101.4 <br />65.0 <br />N <br />15 <br />15 <br />Nmin <br />141 <br />80 <br />Standard <br />212.6 <br />90% of Standard <br />191.3 <br />Standard Passed? <br />No <br />No <br />Herbaceous production was approximately the same in 2014 as it was in 2012 in Reclamation <br />Area 30 (120 g /m2 as compared to 124.1 g /m2). However, in 2012 it was almost entirely <br />composed of perennial grasses with a small component of cheatgrass. In 2014, it was only 42% <br />perennial grasses with a 5% component of annual grasses (4% cheatgrass), 29% native forbs, and <br />24% introduced forbs. <br />Reclamation Area 31 had greater herbaceous production in 2014 than 2012 (101.64 g /m2 <br />compared to 77.5 g /0). However, the community components changed at this site as well. In <br />2012 there were 92% perennial grasses, 5% cheatgrass, and 3% forbs, while in 2014 there were <br />57% perennial grasses, 5% annual grasses (4% cheatgrass), 25% native fortis, and 14% <br />introduced forbs. <br />The above average precipitation in 2013 -2014 resulted in a large increase to the predicted <br />standard value, but not a large increase in actual production on the ground. This could be due to <br />the timing of the precipitation. The extra precipitation fell a huge storm event in September <br />2013, above average snowfall in January, and large events in May and June 2014. The <br />September 2013 precipitation fell so fast that it caused flooding in much of the state and did not <br />Habitat Management, Inc. 15 September 2014 <br />