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• ~ 'woody plants in• areas used by livestock. This allows plant~growth.resouroes to be directed ~ - <br />- <br />:towards .the herbaceous component, thus increasing total useable forage production for ~ - <br />. :.livestock. It, also improves accessibility and, utilization by removing dense and ~m'any times • <br />impenetrable thickets of brush. Colorado Division of Wildlife'ICDOWI personnel agree, that " <br />these denseshrub.communities could be thinned or "opened up" using various means including <br />' mining,: thus, providing benefits to wildlife ~ at the same time ~ (Whitaker, 1 9821. ~ Analysis of <br />daYa~ in~ Tab 10, "Vegetation, •and determination -of range condition for the mixed brush~,~and <br />~~. sagebrush types provide strong support for. reducing these densities, as mentioned earlier. It ~ , <br />"--- <br />should.be noted that a total elimination' of shrubs is not .suggested, but a reduction in shrub <br />.density -in ~ the ~ postmine .environment is desirable. • Successional time frames, applied <br />' ~ ~ reclamation practices,, and the inherent developmental. patterns, of native-'woody vegetation <br />' - types all restrict • the development ot. reclaimed woody • plant densities during tfie liability ,~ - <br />. ' , , periods and so' lower densities are inevitable (see Revegetation. Monitoring Reports for the <br />.Seneca II Mine,~yeais 1987, 1988,:and~19891. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ " <br />. ~ For ~ adequate livestock .performance , on rangeland, including ~ lactation •and daily .gains, a. ~~ ~ , <br />.balanced' forage diet is necessary. The herbaceous component will ~ provide the majority of ~ - " <br />. ~ forage and adequate. nutrient quality ~Idigestible protein, energy, phosphorous and carotene) <br />during the major part •of the grazing season, but the availability"of browse species will aid in <br />meeting nutrient requirements during the ~latter~part of-the grazing season•ICook, et a1.,~1~9771. ~ •~ ~. <br />For rahges~~[hat are 'd'ominated by wootly.~species, the amount and availability of nutritious and ~: , <br />~, palatable herbaceous species is~.~significantly~ reduced, affecting the'forage available to ,' <br />livestock. The grazing season at Seneca II-W runs from late spring to fall and during this <br />. perjod~herbaceous species are selected by both sheep and cattle. <br />'The species selected for inclusion in the permanent seed.mixes~were not only selected for <br />establishment.of a predominantly native, productive, self-sustaining community, but also to <br />. ~• best meet the'nutrient~requirements of livestock•and~wildlife during .spring and summer (Cook, <br />'. et al., 19771. When livestock are' not using the range, wildlife.can benefit froni~early green-up <br />'- of herbaceous species or use standing forage from these sDecies~as'an energy. source when <br />' available in the winter. Inclusion of (orbs and shrubs in reclaimed areas and readily available '. <br />adjacent undisturbed native vegetation will provide ample ~opportunities~for well-tialanced~diets <br />for both livestock arid wildlife. Undisturbed. native shrublands are'not much more: than ,one- ,. <br />.half mile from the centei of the south mining block, <br />