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Section 780.23 (a) Continued. Range Handbook chapters on "Correlating Livestock Management with Grazing Resources", "Managing Plant Communities", and "Procedures for Planning Wildlife Habitat Management on Native Grazing Land". Specific guidelines to be used from these chapters are those relative to maintaining a balance between livestock numbers and available footage, proper distribution of livestock numbers and efficient forage use, livestock nutrition and management guidance, and vegetation management practices. The exact timetable for reestablishment of long-term grazing is not possible to predict as readily as the reclamation timetable in 30 CFR 780.18 due to the possibility of adverse weather conditions which might affect stand establishment and grazing readiness. (See: Table 51, Forage Production, Percent Vegetative Cover, and Carrying Capacity by SCS Range Site). However, Kerr estimates that grazing trials will start approximately 13 to 14 years after seeding. Vegetation sampling was conducted on reclaimed mine areas in 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1996, 1999 and most recently, during 2005 and 2006 (Years 9 ~ 10 respectively). The most recent sampling included all reclaimed areas and two reference areas (Big Sagebrush and Alkali Sagebrush Reference Areas - Map 18) as a basis of comparison. Grazing plans (stocking rate) were implemented prior to 2005 and 2006 and were consistent with the interim grazing management program outlined in Section 780.18. (Grazing was omitted during 2005 6 2006 so as to not interfere with the final revegetation monitoring/sampling projects). There will be no monitoring conducted at the mine after 2006 as the monitoring has been deemed successful. Any grazing permitted on reclaimed land will be consistent / with existing land use trends in the area, (See Section 779.22), and will not deviate from the present county-wide land use patterns as documented by the U.S. Department of Interior (1976). Impact of Mining and Reclamation and the Postmining Usefulness of Affected Lands The impacts of mining on the ability of the affected lands within the permit area to support and sustain the proposed postmining land uses for rangeland and associated wildlife use will be minimal once reclamation as proposed in Section 780.18 has been completed. As related in Sections 779.21 and 783.14, neither soil characteristics not the overburden composition is such that plant growth will be impeded. Similarly, and as more fully discussed in Section 780.18, the moisture holding capacity of TR-23 780-132 Revised June 2007