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TAB 22 <br />REVEGETATION PLAN <br />Introduction <br />Tab 22, Revegetation Plan, directs the reader to those areas comprising the essential <br />components of the revegetation plan, starting with an overview of premining land uses as they <br />relate to vegetation and habitat. Backfilling and grading, topsoil maintenance, and methods of <br />topsoil replacement are covered in detail in Tabs 20 and 2t. Also presented in Tab 22 are the <br />postmining land use plan, revegetation monitoring, revegetation success standards, surface <br />stabilization and rill and gully control measures, and weed and pest control measures. <br />The primary premining land use on the permit area and adjacent areas has been the grazing of <br />domestic livestock on native rangeland and utilization of associated habitat types by wildlife. <br />In more recent years, oil, gas, and methane (from coal fields) exploration, while not extensive, <br />has become an increasingly important land use. The highest economic return has been from <br />livestock grazing. However, the types of habitat and wildlife numbers in the area provide <br />hunting and recreation opportunities that contribute to the overall economy. <br />The following discussion summarizes the two primary premining land uses in the area and <br />provides a basis for the development of the reclamation plan and postmining land use plan. <br />Premine Land Use <br />Livestock Grazing of Native Rangeland Cattle and sheep grazing on privately-owned lands or <br />through Federal grazing leases has been the primary land use of the permit area. Over the <br />years, grazing pressure has been higher than desirable, due to underemphasized management, <br />with a consequent deterioration in range condition. <br />Based on Soil Conservation Service (SCSI range site descriptions for the brushy loam range site <br />and mountain loam range site, it is estimated that range condition for the mixed brush and <br />sagebrush types, averaged over the entire permit area, is only fair. The brushy loam range site <br />generally equates to the mixed brush vegetation type, while the mountain <br />1 <br />