Laserfiche WebLink
Reclamation Success: Species Composition (2020) <br />Success 2020 Reclaimed Areas <br />Standard <br />Total Perennial Species* 3 7 <br />(>2% rel. cover) <br />Cool Season Grasses* 2 4 <br />Cool Season Forbs or Shrub* 1 3 <br />Relative Importance All Species All Species <br />(2%<x<60%) <br />* Numbers reflect only those species meeting the relative importance percentage limitation and does not include <br />any prohibited species <br />The reclaimed areas exceeded the requirements for species composition, thereby meeting the <br />revegetation success criterion and supporting the post -mining land use. <br />4.0 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS <br />Phase II eligible reclaimed areas were quantitatively sampled in 2020 to evaluate whether they <br />would qualify for CDRMS Phase 11 bond release. <br />4.1 TOTAL VEGETATION COVER <br />4.1.1 Total Vegetation Cover: Reclaimed Areas <br />Mean reclaimed area total vegetation cover (55.07%) exceeded the revegetation success <br />criterion for total herbaceous vegetation cover of the extended reference area (11.06%), <br />thereby meeting the revegetation success criterion and supporting the post -mining land use. <br />Of the twenty-nine species encountered in reclaimed area cover sampling, twenty-four were <br />perennial or biennial species, accounting for 82.7 percent of all species encountered. Perennial <br />and biennial species provided 86.70 percent of all total relative cover (66.33% graminoids and <br />20.37% forbs). Of the total vegetation cover, native species contributed 51.7 percent of the <br />total number of species encountered (15 of the 29 total species), and 74.85 percent of the <br />relative cover (65.08% graminoids and 9.77% forbs). <br />These results indicate the establishment of a predominantly perennial, native vegetation <br />community at the reclaimed areas, with total vegetation cover greater than that of the <br />revegetation success criteria. <br />4.2 SPECIES COMPOSITION <br />4.2.1 Species Composition: Reclaimed Areas <br />The CDRMS considers species composition of the revegetated and reclaimed areas to be an <br />indicator of successful vegetation establishment and a diverse vegetation community. The <br />species composition standard for the Elk Creek Mine requires that there be at least three <br />Oxbow Mining, LLC Elk Creek Mine Page 9 <br />2020 Phase 11 Bond Release Vegetation Report <br />