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Keenesburg Mine 2015 Vegetation Monitoring Report <br />Figure 4: Absolute Cover of Native and Introduced Species 2012 — 2015 <br />50 <br />45 <br />40 <br />35 <br />30 <br />U 25 <br />v <br />20 <br />0 <br />4 15 <br />10 <br />5 <br />0 <br />2012 2015 2012 2015 2012 2014 2015 2012 2014 2015 <br />Area 23 Area 29 Area 30 Area 31 <br />■ Perennial Native ■ Annual Native ■ Annual Introduced Forbs ■ Cheatgrass <br />A pre -emergent herbicide was applied prior to the 2012 growing season which was credited with <br />a large decrease in cheatgrass and other annual weeds in 2012 from previous years. Below <br />average precipitation in year preceding the 2012 monitoring likely also helped to keep weeds <br />down (Appendix B). However, in 2015, cheatgrass was a dominant species in in all of the <br />Reclamation Areas comprising 26% — 28% of the relative cover in each area (Figure 5). In 2012, <br />cheatgrass was down to less than 3% of relative cover in Reclamation Areas 23 and 29, but has <br />since increased to 26.5% and 27.7%, respectively. Cheatgrass presence was greater in <br />Reclamation Areas 30 and 31 after the 2012 herbicide application (8.4% and 18.4%, <br />respectively), but the resurgence since 2012 is still notable. Given the quantity of cheatgrass <br />represented by the 2014 and 2015 data it may be advisable to complete another pre -emergent <br />application in all of these areas. <br />Habitat Management, Inc. 17 October 2015 <br />