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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS <br /> Remaining discussions under this section (4.15) will refer to "pre-2008" versus "post-2008" <br /> revegetation plans, efforts, specifications, and bond release protocols. Pre-2008 refers to <br /> revegetation activities performed prior to April, 2008). Post-2008 refers to revegetation activities <br /> occurring during or after April, 2008. <br /> The details of the revegetation plan are discussed in Section 2.05.4. <br /> 4.15.1(4) Vegetation Monitoring <br /> The monitoring plan to evaluate the success of shrub conducive efforts including direct seeding of <br /> sagebrush,natural reinvasion by sagebrush,as well as herbaceous vegetation success is as follows: <br /> 1. To facilitate identification, sampling of herbaceous vegetation will take place during the <br /> peak of the growing season when the vegetation reaches the mature stages. This period of <br /> time is generally from late June to late August. <br /> 2. Unlike sampling for bond release purposes,sampling will not be required to meet statistical <br /> adequacy. <br /> 3. During the first growing season of a reseeded area, a visual determination of seeded and <br /> volunteer species will be performed. From-this information, any apparent revegetation <br /> issues will be determined for the seeded species, and unsatisfactory stands of any <br /> component can be identified for corrective action. In addition to this visual evaluation, a <br /> semi-quantitative procedure will be implemented to evaluate seedling emergence. This <br /> procedure involves unbiased placement of several small quadrat frames at multiple <br /> locations across the reclaimed unit and counting the number of emergent plants by life form <br /> within each quadrat. Conversion to the number of emergents per square foot facilitates an <br /> assessment of the eventual success of the seeding effort. <br /> During the second and fourth growing season of a reseeded area, herbaceous cover and <br /> woody plant density information will be gathered. This information will be gathered at the <br /> species level and will reflect the effectiveness of the seed mixture and volunteer species. <br /> Colowyo will also monitor areas seven years old and every third year thereafter (year 10, <br /> 13, etc.) to assess their status toward approaching the maturity necessary for bond release <br /> testing. Seven year and older monitoring will also utilize ground cover and density <br /> sampling, but will include a modest current annual production sampling effort to facilitate <br /> evaluation of progress toward meeting this variable and to allow a determination of <br /> carrying capacity should a program of livestock grazing be implemented. After 7 years of <br /> growth and where practicality dictates, revegetation units may be combined into logical <br /> management units for sampling/monitoring purposes,rather than remaining autonomous. <br /> Monitoring will cease following Phase III bond release. <br /> 4. The data and an assessment of the monitoring results will be submitted in the Annual <br /> Reclamation Report. A map will be included to delineate the reclaimed areas being <br /> sampled each year. The Annual Reclamation Report will also provide details regarding <br /> Rule 4 Performance Standards 4-47 Revision Date: 1/22/20 <br /> Revision No.: TR-136 <br />