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success criteria for the approved permit application can be found <br />in Section 2.05.4. <br />Quantitative studies include a 1980 study done by ACZ Inc., and <br />submitted as Exhibit 31 of the approved permit application, a study <br />of the Barren Ridge area prepared by ACZ Inc., dated March 31, 1982 <br />and submitted by Chimney Rock Coal Company as a portion of their <br />response to Stipulation No. 8 of Permit No. C-81-023 (received by <br />the Division on January 13, 1983) and a study of the Barren Ridge <br />and Federal Lease Revision No. 1 area done by Mariah Associates, <br />Inc., dated July 1983. <br />The mountain shrub and pinon-juniper communities dominate within <br />the approved permit area. A small pastureland and disturbed areas <br />account for the remaining area (Map 6, approved permit <br />application). The Federal Lease Area consists almost entirely of <br />pinon-juniper with a small area of mountain shrub community along <br />the extreme eastern edge of the lease. <br />The mountain shrub community has been adequately sampled for cover, <br />herbaceous production, and woody plant density. The pre-mine area <br />is statistically equivalent to the proposed reference area at a <br />95-percent confidence level for the parameters of cover, herbaceous <br />production, and woody plant density. <br />Within the pinon-juniper community, sufficient samples were taken <br />to characterize the community for all parameters except <br />productivity and woody plant density (Table 3.1 of the Mariah <br />report, July 1983). The maximum required number of samples (50) <br />was taken on the affected area and one more than the maximum <br />required was taken on the reference area. Productivity on the <br />pinon-juniper type is quite low overall (25-33 ibs/acre, Table 3.4 <br />of the Mariah Report, July 1983) and is highly variable from site <br />to site within this vegetation type. Even the use of large plots <br />(1x4-meter quadrats) did not reduce the sample-to-sample <br />variability enough to provide adequate data with a reasonable <br />number of sample points. <br />T-test comparisons (t=.05) of the reference and affected cover and <br />productivity data indicated that the areas were equivalent and the <br />reference area selected (Map 16R1, Federal Lease Permit Revision <br />Application) is suitable. <br />The permittee has submitted acceptable rangeland seed mixes and <br />shrub planting plans for the East Pit and Barren Ridge private <br />lands. The permittee has proposed a post-mining land use of <br />wildlife habitat on the Federal Lease Area and has submitted a <br />revegetation plan which contains a diverse mixture of shrubs, <br />fortis, and grasses. <br />Determinations of revegetation success will be based on weighted <br />average comparisons with pinon juniper and mountain shrub reference <br />area means for production and cover. A woody plant density <br />standard of 333 stems per acre has been established based on <br />-15- <br />