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i <br />h <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />The Use of a Similarity Index in Evaluating <br />Reclamation Success at the Mt. Gunnison Mine <br />Introduction <br />Similarity indices have been used by vegetation scientists for many <br />years to ascertain the degree of similarity between samples of vegetation <br />(Bray and Curtis, 1957, Webber 1971, Steward and Webber, 1981). The simi- <br />larity of two vegetation types is not only a function of the number of <br />components (species or growth-forms) common and unique to each type, but <br />also the quantity of each component present. Similarity indices can provide <br />a measure of similarity between two vegetation types or between a reclaimed <br />area and its reference area. <br />Similarity indices are objective mathematical syntheses of data. <br />However, the successful application of mathematical methods requires a judg- <br />ment about the degree of similarity acceptable. Any judgment, statistical, <br />mathematical, or otherwise, ultimately involves the subjective act of deter- <br />mining acceptable limits (Mueller-Dombois and Ellenberg, 1974). It is the <br />purpose of this paper to suggest the use of a similarity index to evaluate <br />reclamation success. <br />Selecting a Similarity Index <br />There are three criteria that should be met in selecting an index to <br />evaluate reclamation success. A good index should be: <br />(1) conceptually straightforward, so that it is easily understood and <br />applicable by user's from a variety of backgrounds; <br />(2) flexible, so that it can be used to make comparisons in a variety <br />of vegetation types; <br />