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TAB 22 <br />RENEGE TATI ON PLAN <br />Introduction <br />Tab 22, Revegeta ti on 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 <br />they relate to vegetation and habitat. Bac kfill ing and grading, topsoil maintenance, and <br />methods of topsoil replacement are covered in detail in Tabs 20 and 21. Also presented in <br />Tab 22 are the postmining land use plan, revegetation monitoring, revegetation success <br />standards, surface stabilization and rill and gully control measures, and weed and pest <br />control measures. <br /> The primary premining land use on the permit area and adjacent areas has been the grazing <br /> of domestic livestock on native rangeland and utilization of associated habitat types by <br /> wildlife. In more recent years, oil, gas, and methane (from coal fields) exploration, <br />• while not extensive, has become an increasingly important land use. The highest economic <br /> return has been from livestock grazing. However, the types of habitat and wildlife <br /> numbers in the area provide hunting and recreation opportunities th at contribute to the <br /> 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 />P remine Land Use <br />Livestock Grazing of Native Rangeland. Cattle and sheep grazing on privately-owned lands <br />or through Federal grazing leases has been the primary land use of the permit area. Over <br />the years, grazing pressure has been higher than desirable, due to underemphasized <br />management, with a consequent deterioration in range condition. <br />Based on Soil Conservation Service (SCS) range site descriptions for the brushy loam range <br />site and mountain loam range site, it is estimated that range condition for the mi xed~ <br />brush and sagebrush types, averaged over the entire permit area, is only fair. The brushy <br />~. <br />loam range site generally equates to the mixed brush vegetation type, while the mountain <br />1 <br />