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XI. Reve etg ation <br />A. The Division has previously approved the use of introduced species in the <br />reclamation seed mix. Introduced species are included in cropland, pastureland, <br />and rangeland seed mixes. The applicant has submitted information which shows <br />that the introduced species are desirable and necessary to achieve the post -mining <br />land use, and are not poisonous or noxious (4.15.2). <br />Methods to measure herbaceous cover and production, species diversity, and <br />woody plant density are discussed beginning on pages 2.04-52 and 2.05-115 of the <br />application for all disturbed areas, with the exception of the Fish Creek Tipple <br />area. These techniques include: <br />1. Vegetative cover will be sampled using the point -intercept method on a 50 - <br />meter transect line. "First hit" percent cover at every sample location will be <br />calculated for each species; <br />2. Herbaceous production samples will be taken at the same random sample <br />points used for cover sampling. Vegetation clipping will occur in one -square <br />meter quadrants, followed by drying at 105 degrees and weighing to the nearest <br />0.1 gram for productivity; <br />3. Species diversity success will be demonstrated with no single plant species <br />exceeding 60% relative cover and at least two of the following tests: 1) total <br />species density 2) assessment of the distribution of species density among life - <br />forms in comparison to the reference areas and 3) assessment of the presence <br />of native species; <br />4. Shrub density will be evaluated using a belt transect method with transects 2 <br />meters X 50 meters in dimension and randomly oriented from the sample point <br />origin. <br />For the Fish Creek Tipple area, the methodologies will be: <br />Cover will be determined using fifty meter transects with ten points every five <br />meters for 100 "hits"; <br />2. Production will be determined from the clipping of three meter squared <br />quadrants placed randomly along the cover transect; <br />3. Woody stem density will be determined by counting rooted shrubs along a 2 - <br />meter by 50 -meter transect; <br />4. Diversity success will require two perennial grasses to exceed 5% composition <br />and one perennial forb to exceed 3% composition with no one species <br />exceeding 40% composition. <br />Page 34 of 52 <br />