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Seed Mix No. 5 has been developed for concentrated shrub establishment areas. Seneca <br />Property, LLC's experience at adjacent mines has shown that higher survival rates in <br />concentrated shrub seeding areas have been achieved by suppression of herbaceous <br />competition within the concentrated areas. Accordingly, Seed Mix No. 5 contains only <br />native shrub species. Seneca Property, LLC will use mechanical or chemical means to <br />reduce herbaceous plants within the concentrated shrub areas until such a time that the <br />shrubs are determined to be able to compete. <br />Seneca Property, LLC has stabilized soil prior to permanent vegetation establishment <br />through the planting of a cover crop. Either an annual grain or a sterile grass hybrid <br />(Agrop3ron x Triticum) was used. Straw mulch was also used in lieu of a cover crop at <br />a rate of 2000 lbs. per acre and crimped or secured with a tackifier. This meets the <br />requirement of Rule 4.15.4. <br />Reclamation Success Standards <br />The Division previously approved Seneca Property, LLC's plan to determine <br />revegetation success for cover and production through the use of reference areas in <br />compliance with Rule 4.15.7. Seneca Property, LLC will utilize the concept of <br />extended reference areas. The extended reference area embodies all areas outside of the <br />approved disturbance area yet within the mine permit boundary. Seneca Property, LLC <br />has suitably demonstrated that the extended reference area is statistically representative <br />of the pre -mine communities in the mine disturbance area. The minimum acreages <br />available for the extended reference area vegetation types will be: Aspen woodland (100 <br />acres), Mountain Brush (600 acres), Sagebrush (200 acres), and Steep Mountain Brush <br />(30 acres). <br />Cover <br />For the shrub grassland reclaimed type that is dominant in the reclaimed mine area, <br />cover and production reclamation success standards will be based on comparison of the <br />reclaimed areas with the four extended reference areas, in agreement with Rule <br />4.15.7(3). Reclamation success standards for species diversity and woody plant density <br />shall be based on technical standards agreed upon between Seneca Property, LLC and <br />the Division, as allowed by Rule 4.15.7(2)(d)(i). <br />The shrub grassland cover standard will be calculated on an area -weighted basis. This <br />method is in compliance with Rule 4.15.7(4)(b). Only the four dominant pre -mining <br />vegetation types (mountain brush, aspen woodland, steep mountain brush, and <br />sagebrush) will be utilized in the weighting calculation to establish the cover standard <br />for the reclaimed shrub grassland type. Average all -hit total vegetation cover in the <br />reclaimed area will be compared to the weighted average all -hit herbaceous cover in the <br />reference area. <br />The cover comparison standard for the reclaimed mesic drainage areas will be based on <br />the area -weighted average all -hit herbaceous cover of the undisturbed mesic drainage <br />k11,' <br />