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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS <br /> <br />Rule 4 Performance Standards 4-39 Revision Date: 4/9/25 <br /> Revision No.: MR-261 <br />4.15.1(4) Vegetation Monitoring <br /> <br />The monitoring plan will evaluate the success of shrub and herbaceous vegetation establishment, <br />and track progress toward achieving reclamation goals in the following manner: <br /> <br />1. Sampling of herbaceous vegetation will take place during the peak of the growing season <br />when the vegetation reaches the mature stages and is most easily identified. This period <br />of time is generally from late June to late August. <br /> <br />2. Unlike sampling for bond release purposes, sampling is for informational purposes and will <br />not be required to meet statistical adequacy. <br /> <br />3. During the second and fourth growing seasons, herbaceous cover and woody plant <br />density information will be gathered to the species level, and will consider the <br />effectiveness of the seed mixture and volunteer species. Seven year and older monitoring <br />will utilize ground cover and density sampling, and will include a modest current annual <br />production sampling. <br /> <br />4. The data and an assessment of the monitoring results for that year will be submitted in the <br />Annual Reclamation Report. <br /> <br />4.15.2 Use of Introduced Species <br /> <br />For pre-2008 revegetation (especially pre-2002 revegetation), the rangeland seed mixture used at <br />that time included some introduced species, including Intermediate Wheatgrass (Agropyron <br />intermedium), Siberian Wheatgrass (Agropyron sibericum), Pubescent Wheatgrass (Agropyron <br />trichophorum), Smooth Brome (Bromus inermus), Orchard Grass (Dactylus glomerata), Vinall <br />Russian Wildrye (Elymus junceus), Durar Hard Fescue (Festuca ovina duriscula), Timothy <br />(Phleum pratense), Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis), Lutana Cicer Milkvetch (Astragalus <br />cicer) and Alfalfa (Medicago sativa). <br /> <br />Of the thirty-one species in the pre-2008 seed mixtures, twenty-one species were native, which on <br />a seed-weight basis accounts for 65% of the planted seeds. Studies and experience have <br />demonstrates some beneficial uses for introduced species considering erosion control and forage <br />for livestock and wildlife, but are no longer a component of the desired post-mining vegetation <br />communities. <br /> <br />For post-2008 revegetation, the seed mixes (please see Tables 2.05.4-7 through 2.05.4-9) are <br />comprised entirely of native species, except with the inclusion of modest quantities of small burnett <br />or nitrogen fixing legumes such as cicer milkvetch or alfalfa as supplemental forage for wildlife. <br /> <br />4.15.3 Seeding and Planting <br /> <br />Please refer to the reclamation plan found in Section 2.05.4 <br />