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chemical means to reduce herbaceous plants within the concentrated shrub azeas until <br />such a time that the shrubs are determined to be able to compete. <br />Seneca Coal Company proposes to stabilize soil prior to permanent vegetation <br />establishment through the planting of a cover crop. Either an annual grain or a sterile <br />grass hybrid (Agropyron x Triticum) will be used. Straw mulch may be used in lieu <br />of a cover crop at a rate of 2000 lbs. per acre and crimped or secured with a tackifier. <br />This meets the requirement of Rule 4.15.4. <br />Reclamation Success Standazds <br />Seneca Coal Company proposes to determine revegetation success through the use of <br />reference areas incompliance with Rule 4.15.7. Seneca Coal Company proposes to <br />utilize the concept of extended reference azeas. The extended reference area <br />embodies all azea outside of the approved disturbance area yet within the mine permit <br />boundary. Seneca Coal Company has suitably demonstrated that the extended <br />reference azea is statistically representative of the pre-mine communities in the <br />proposed mine disturbance azea. The minimum acreages available for the extended <br />reference area vegetation types will be: Aspen woodland-100 acres, Mountain Brush- <br />600 acres, Sagebrush-200 acres, and Mesic Drainage and Subirrigated Pasture-8 <br />acres. <br />Cover and production reclamation success standards will be based on comparison of <br />the reclaimed areas with the extended reference azeas, in agreement with Rule <br />4.15.7(3). Reclamation success standards for species diversity and woody plant <br />density shall be based on technical standards agreed on between Seneca Coal <br />Company and the Division, as allowed by Rule 4.15.7(2)(d)(i). <br />The cover standard will be calculated on an azea-weighted basis, this method is in <br />compliance with Rule 4.15.7(4)(6). Only the three dominant vegetation types will be <br />utilized in the calculation to determine cover on the shrub grassland type reclaimed <br />communities. These three dominant types aze: Mountain shrub, aspen woodland, and <br />sagebrush. The cover comparison standazd for the reclaimed mesic drainage areas <br />will be based on the weighted average cover of the undisturbed mesic drainage type <br />and the improved pasture-subirrigated. Seneca Coal Company has proposed a cover <br />standard of 35% for the haul road corridor. This proposal is in agreement with Rule <br />4.15.7(2)(d)(iv). The vegetation types along the haul road corridor are considered of <br />minor significance in areal extent and aze not considered critical or unique habitat. <br />The 35% cover standazd is based upon weighted mean cover data collected in pre- <br />mine sampling of the sagebrush, western wheatgrass/alkali sagebrush, alkali <br />sagebrush/greasewood, and alkali meadow vegetation types. <br />Success of vegetative cover in the shrub establishment azeas will be compared to a <br />weighted average of the herbaceous cover on the three dominant vegetation <br />communities in the mine azea. The Division recognizes that the herbaceous cover in <br />Yoazt Mine 35 August 3, 2005 <br />