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4) Use a percentage of larger than normal transplant stock ("mother plants"), that <br />would receive supplemental water during early establishment years, and be fenced <br />or individually caged for browse protection; <br />5) Use thick topsoil replacement (e.g. 3.5 to 4 feet) within aspen and mesic site <br />planting areas (reduce soil replacement thickness in general reclamation areas as <br />warranted to compensate). <br />B) Consider planned variation in topsoil replacement thickness within the upland <br />shrub grassland areas to enhance diversity (generally lesser thickness on ridges and <br />upper slopes, greater thickness in swales and toe-slopes). <br />Please consider these requests and amend the narrative as appropriate. <br />Seeding and Planting Methods <br />We request that the discussion of broadcast seeding and hydro-seeding beginning <br />on page 23 be amended to detail the extensive surface roughening treatment <br />methods to be employed (rather than "as roughened a condition as possible"). We <br />recommend that slopes 4:1 or steeper be extensively roughened and broadcast <br />seeded. Hydro-seeding should be restricted to fall dormant period seedings, to <br />minimize the potential for precocious germination. <br />Note that, if big sagebrush is included in the Seedmix 1A as requested, it would be <br />appropriate to broadcast or dribble the sagebrush seed (as well as similarly small <br />seeded (orbs) on the surface in areas where the remainder of the Seedmix is drill <br />seeded. Please consider these requests and amend the narrative as appropriate. <br />Premine Vegetation Type Disturbance Summary <br />8. Narrative on page 24 and footnotes on Tables 22-9 and 22-10 include reference to <br />"the 65 acres associated with the dragline deadhead road" that was not included in <br />premine or postmining vegetation type acreage breakdowns. It is not clear why this <br />should be the case. Ptease explain, or amend the text and tables to incorporate the <br />referenced 65 acres of disturbance into the pre and post mine vegetation type <br />acreage listings. <br />Revegetation Monitoring/Sampling Intensity <br />9. Please include in this section a discussion of monitoring of designated shrub <br />establishment areas. Such areas should be representatively sampled and assessed <br />on a periodic basis. If there are no shrub establishment areas located within a given <br />year's reclamation parcel, the revegetation report should document that fact. <br />Statistical Testing to Demonstrate Revegetation Success <br />10. In paragraph 1, text states that hypothesis testing and sample adequacy formulas <br />will be jconsistent iwith the Division's Guideline Regarding Selected Coal Mine Bond <br />Release Issues (April, 1995-. We would request that this statement be amended to <br />include "or current regulations and guidelines in effect at the time of a bond release <br />application". <br />