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4.0 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS <br /> Elk Creek Mine eligible Phase III (first year) reclaimed areas were quantitatively sampled in <br /> 2020 to evaluate whether they would qualify for CDRMS Phase III bond release. <br /> 4.1 TOTAL VEGETATION COVER <br /> 4.1.1 Total Vegetation Cover: Reclaimed Areas <br /> Mean reclaimed area total vegetation cover (55.87%) exceeded the revegetation success <br /> criterion for total herbaceous vegetation cover (11.06%), thereby meeting the revegetation <br /> success criterion and supporting the post-mining land use. <br /> Of the thirty-four species encountered in reclaimed area cover sampling, thirty-one were <br /> perennial or biennial species,accounting for 91.2 percent of all species encountered. Perennial <br /> and biennial species provided 90.33 percent of all total relative cover (55.04% graminoids, <br /> 26.68% forbs, and 8.61% shrubs). Of the total vegetation cover, native species contributed <br /> 73.5 percent of the total number of species encountered (25 of the 34 total species), and 80.67 <br /> percent of the relative cover(52.94% graminoids, 19.12% forbs, and 8.61% shrubs). <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 TOTAL HERBACEOUS PRODUCTION <br /> 4.2.1 Total Herbaceous Production: Reclaimed Areas <br /> Mean reclaimed area total herbaceous production (198.81 g/m2) exceeded the revegetation <br /> success criterion for total herbaceous vegetation cover (59.33 g/m2), thereby meeting the <br /> revegetation success criterion and supporting the post-mining land use. <br /> 4.3 SPECIES COMPOSITION <br /> 4.3.1 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 /> perennial species, of which two are cool season perennial grasses and one is a cool season <br /> perennial forb or woody plant. No one component of the above three species should comprise <br /> greater than 60% relative importance nor less than 2% relative importance. Relative <br /> importance will be measured by calculating relative cover of the revegetation species. <br /> Oxbow Mining,LLC Elk Creek Mine Page 11 <br /> 2020 Phase III Bond Release(Year 1):Vegetation Report <br />