Laserfiche WebLink
• and by the same operators as The original alignment. Additionally, similar soils are <br />encountered in the realigned section as occured in the original alignment, with only the <br />percent composition of the various series varying. Topography is rolling to steep and <br />generally similar to the original alignment. Because of the similarities between the two <br />alignments discussed above, additional studies for cropland areas have not been done. <br />Furthermore, reclamation success standards will be based on actual production records <br />from the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) and producers. See <br />the following tabs in the Seneca II-W Mine Permit: Tab 4 Premininq Land Use, Tab 9 Soil <br />Survey, and Tab 10 Vegetation. <br />DISCUSSION <br />One of the important functions of baseline vegetation studies is to provide an <br />adequate description of areas that are to be disturbed by mining activities and to provide <br />a means for assessing whether the ultimate revegetation of the disturbed areas is <br />successful. The descriptions of the affected areas are based on data collected from <br />• those areas, while the means for evaluating successful revegetation is based on future <br />comparisons of reclaimed areas with reference areas. In the case of the tie across haul <br />road, the evaluation of revegetation success may be based on comparing data from <br />reclaimed areas with data collected from the mixed sagebrush reference area. For these <br />purposes, the mixed sagebrush reference area should therefore be comparable to the <br />existing vegetation growing along the proposed tie across haul road. <br />The similarity of the vegetation growing along the realigned portion of the road and <br />the vegetation in The reference area was evaluated by statistically comparing total <br />vegetation cover, total production and total shrub density using a t-test (at a 0.05 level <br />of significance). There were no significant differences in total vegetation cover or total <br />production, however, the shrub density was significantly greater in the reference area. <br />As mentioned earlier, this difference is related to the growth form and resultant higher <br />density of Rothrock big sagebrush in the reference area. Since statistical evaluation of <br />reclaimed lands is based on evaluations of total vegetation cover and total production <br />and a shrub density standard has not been required for the small areas reclaimed to <br />perennial herbaceous vegetation in the reclaimed haul road route, the difference in shrub <br />• density is not critical for ultimate evaluation of revegetation success. <br />