Laserfiche WebLink
Reclamation Success Standards <br /> Seneca Coal Company proposes to determine revegetation success through the use <br /> of reference areas in compliance with Rule 4.15.7. Seneca Coal Company proposes <br /> to utilize the concept of extended reference areas. The extended reference area <br /> embodies all area outside of the approved disturbance area yet within the mine permit <br /> boundary. Seneca Coal Company has suitably demonstrated that the extended <br /> reference area is statistically representative of the pre-mine communities in the <br /> proposed mine disturbance area. 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 areas, 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 area weighted basis, this method is in <br /> compliance with Rule 4.15.7(4)(b). Only the three dominant vegetation types will <br /> be utilized in the calculation to determine cover on the shrub grassland type <br /> reclaimed communities. These three dominant types are: Mountain shrub, aspen <br /> woodland, and sagebrush. The cover comparison standard for the reclaimed mesic <br /> drainage areas will be based on the weighted average cover of the undisturbed mesic <br /> drainage type and the improved pasture-subirrigated. Seneca Coal Company has <br /> proposed a cover standard of 35% for the haul road corridor. This proposal is in <br /> agreement with Rule 4.15.7(2)(d)(iv). The vegetation types along the haul road <br /> corridor are considered of minor significance in areal extent and are not considered <br /> critical or unique habitat. The 35% cover standard is based upon weighted mean <br /> cover data collected in pre-mine sampling of the sagebrush, western <br /> wheatgrass/alkali sagebrush, alkali sagebrush/greasewood, and alkali meadow <br /> vegetation types. <br /> Success of vegetative cover in the shrub establishment areas will be compared to a <br /> weighted average of the herbaceous cover on the three dominant vegetation <br /> communities in the mine area.. The Division recognizes that the herbaceous cover <br /> in the shrub areas may be less than that for the other parts of the mine. A reduction <br /> in the herbaceous cover is intended to reduce competition and encourage the <br /> establishment of shrubs and trees. <br /> Reclamation success for production in the mine area will be evaluated by comparing <br /> herbaceous production in the reclaimed area to the weighted herbaceous production <br /> in the reclaimed areas to the weighted herbaceous production value determined from <br /> the extended reference area. Herbaceous production will be estimated by clipping <br /> Yoast Kline 33 October 19, 1999 <br />