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C1989074: 29=004 Vegetation Sampling Report 4 <br />were not counted as a component of the herbaceous cover data. Transect length was 50 ft. long. <br />Transect orientation was determined randomly by randomly generated numbers between 1 and 360 <br />degrees. Transects were not permitted to overlap or extend within 10 feet of revegetated area <br />boundazies, to minimize impacts from "edge effect". Ten point-intercept observations of the lasers were <br />measured every ten (l0) feet along the transect. Transect 8 corresponded to the extreme edge of the <br />reclamation. This transect was eliminated from the data set since a good portion of the transect fell <br />within the edge of the reclaimed azea. <br />For statistical purposes, each cover transect served as a sample unit. The data were summarized by <br />computing mean cover, relative cover (percent of total vegetation cover attributed to each species), and <br />species composition. Species composition information was computed from vegetation cover data using <br />a ratio of individual species cover to total live vegetation. <br />Production <br />Live herbaceous production was collected using a harvest method. All of the current years growth <br />included within a 50 centimeter by 50 centimeter quadrat (quadrat areas equal one-quarter of a square <br />meter) was clipped at both ends of the cover transect. Full shrubs, succulents, noxious weeds, and <br />cushion plants were not clipped. Production clippings were separated by life form and placed in paper <br />bags, then weighed wet (fresh) in the field to assess sample adequacy. Paper bag weight was subtracted <br />from the biomass calculations. Life form categories included perennial grasses, perennial forbs, annual <br />grasses and annual biennial forbs. Plant biomass was oven-dried at 110°F for a minimum of 72 hours to <br />a constant weight, and then re-weighed to determine dry biomass production on this site. Paper bag <br />weight was subtracted from biomass calculations. The minimum number of samples required to achieve <br />sample adequacy on the dried vegetation was 60 samples. Sample adequacy was not achieved for <br />vegetative production. A minimum of 30 samples were collected, allowing for data evaluation using the <br />reverse null formula for reclamation success. <br />Shrub Density <br />There is no reclamation success standard for woody plant density. Shrub density data was not collected. <br />Sample Adequacy: <br />Sample adequacy calculations were made for vegetative cover and productivity. The following formula, <br />accepted by the CDMG, was used for these calculations: <br />N,n;~ t z s z <br />(d Xb~)z <br />Where: <br />Nm;~ minimum sample size <br />t= the "T" distribution value at the 90% confidence level <br />s= sample standazd deviation <br />s~= sample vaziance <br />d=percent acceptable deviation from the mean (10%) <br />Xbar sample mean <br />