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frame at least 3 one-quarter square meters in diameter and large enough to encompass individual <br />plants of the larger species being sampled. Current year growth of herbaceous non -woody <br />species will be clipped by life forms within each sample plot. The sampled plant material will be <br />bagged and taken to the laboratory for drying and weighing. Samples will be oven -dried at 105 <br />degrees C to a constant weight. <br />Sampling points for cover and herbaceous production will be located by using a random number <br />generating procedure to create up to 50 random co-ordinates within each study area (reclaimed <br />sites and the reference area). A geographic positioning system (GPS) unit will be used to <br />navigate to the sample points. Cover transects will be oriented along a random compass bearing <br />from the point of origin. When production sampling is done concurrently with the cover <br />sampling, clip plots will be randomly placed along the vegetation transect. Allowable cover will <br />be calculated as percent total of canopy cover for each transect, and the mean calculated for the <br />study area. Perennial herbaceous forage production will be calculated based upon the sampling <br />of perennial grasses and forbs and converted to pounds per acre as discussed for the Irrigated <br />Pasture areas. <br />As allowed in Rule 4.15.8(5), species diversity can be quantified using either plant cover or <br />forage production comparison. When TR -58 at the NH2 Mine was approved, the CDMRS <br />required that in lieu of a species diversity standard for the reclaimed irrigated pasture areas there <br />would instead be a forage quality diversity standard. Therefore, the following forage quality <br />diversity standard was proposed and approved for the NH2 Mine and is proposed for the NHN <br />Mine as well: <br />Production on all Dryland Pasture reclaimed areas will consist of "desirable plant species, <br />as defined below, which will contribute at least 75% of the relative production will be <br />comprised of seeded species or species of comparable quality as livestock forage as <br />compared to the Dryland Pasture Reference Area standard. As are recommended on page <br />7 of the Bond Release Guideline, the production of all annuals and biennials will not be <br />sampled in either the Dryland Pasture reclaimed areas or Dryland Pasture Reference <br />Area. In addition, all Montrose County or San Miguel County listed noxious weed <br />species will not be counted toward the revegetation success standard for cover or <br />production in any reclaimed or reference areas. For the purposes of this demonstration, a <br />statistically adequate production sample will be taken, or with a minimum of 15 cover <br />samples and at least 30 production samples. <br />As are recommended on page 7 of the Vegetation Guideline, the production plots on the Dryland <br />Pasture Reference Area will involve the sampling of perennial herbaceous plants which will be <br />clipped by life forms which will include perennial grasses and perennial forbs. While on the <br />Dryland Pasture reclaimed sites, the plants will be clipped by the categories of: seeded grasses, <br />seeded fortis, non -seeded desirable grasses, non -seeded desirable forbs. Annuals and biennials, <br />undesirable grasses, undesirable forbs and noxious species will not normally be clipped. <br />Section 2.05.4(2)(e) Page 23 May 2015 <br />