2015-10-13_REVISION - C1981014 (12)

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plant cover," obtained from the sampling of the Loadout Reference Area (28.67 %), it can be determined by direct comparison that the "allowable plant cover" growing on the Loadout Reclamation would be considered successful with respect to the final bond revegetation success standard for "allowable plant cover." Therefore, and both the Southfield Mine and Loadout reclaimed eras satisfy the Phase III revegetation bond release revegetation success standards with respect to "allowable plant cover." Forage Production. With respect to forage production, since ample adequacy was achieved in the sampling of the three combined Southfield Mine reference areas (N=91 and Nm=27.0) and for the three combined Reclamation Areas(N=90 and Nm=24.6) and since the weighted average forage production on these reclaimed areas which equaled 41.78 g/l/4m' or 1,489.0 pounds of air-dry forage per acre, exceeds the calculated weighted average revegetation success standard obtained from the sampling of the three combined Reference Areas (23.48 g/1/4m' or 836.8 pounds of air-dry forage per acre) for "perennial herbaceous forage production," the successful of revegetation efforts with respect to forage production can be made by direct comparison. Since the average for production on the reclaimed sites equaled 41.78 g/1/4m2 or 1,489.0 pounds of air-dry forage per acre and exceeded the corresponding value obtained from the reference areas which equaled 23.48 g/1/4m2 or 836.8 pounds of air- dry forage per acre it can be concluded that the "perennial herbaceous forage production" satisfies the revegetation success standard for this parameter. At the Southfield Loadout, with respect to "perennial herbaceous forage production," sample adequacy was not achieved on the sampling of the Loadout Reference Area (N=30 and Nm=125.2) with the recommended 30 transects sampled. However, since the weighted average "perennial herbaceous forage production" on the Loadout Reclamation 24.85 g/1/4m' or 885.7 pounds of air-dry forage per acre, exceeds the calculated weighted average revegetation success standard obtained from the sampling of the Loadout Reference Area (11.30 g/l/4m' or 402.7 pounds of air-dry forage per acre) for "perennial herbaceous forage production," the "reverse null" statistical approach found in Rule 4.15.11 was used. The calculated tc value was found to equal 2.680, which exceeded the calculated tt value of 0.854, so it can be determined that the "perennial herbaceous forage production" satisfies the revegetation success standard for this parameter. Therefore, it can be concluded from these second year's revegetation monitoring data, that the revegetation success criteria on the Southfield Mine Phase 111 2014 Reclamation Study Areas, it can be documented that the revegetation success criteria for "allowable plant cover,"and "perennial herbaceous forage production" have all been satisfied. Species Diversity. The three reclaimed areas at the Southfield Mine have the four dominant species comprising value of 72.14 %, 63.80 % and 72.17 %, and at the Loadout Reclamation 769.16 % which are all less than the 80 % value contained in the Permit. Therefore, all of these reclaimed areas satisfy the four dominants species standard of being less than 80 %. The overall warm season grass species diversity index value from the four reclaimed areas located at the Southfield Mine and Southfield Loadout, was found to be higher (3.27) than that associated with the four undisturbed reference areas located on these areas, thus it can be concluded that the species diversity revegetation success standards have been satisfied. Shrub Density. Since the woody plant density on all four reclaimed areas located at the Southfield Mine and Southfield Loadout are higher than the standards approved in TR -45 at the 90 % statistical confidence interval, it can be concluded that this revegetation success criteria has been satisfied. 31