GENERAL50353

• Permit No: C1984063
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 7/10/2006
• Doc Name: 2006 Vegetation Report
• From: Savage & Savage
• To: DMG
• Permit Index Doc Type: Vegetation
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

2.3 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Statistical analysis for the revegetation success criterion of total vegetation cover is
required if the value of the sample mean from the reclaimed area is less than 90 percent of
the value of the final revegetation success criterion standard of 35 percent.
~ Sampling revealed that the mean total vegetation cover of the reclaimed area was greater
' than that of the final revegetation cover success standard. The mean total vegetation
cover value from the reclaimed areas (57.47%) was greater than 90 percent of the value of
the revegetation success standard (35.00%), therefore no statistical analysis was required.
' 3.0 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
' Six lifeforms were encountered during the sampling of the reclaimed area. They included
perennial and annual graminoids, biennial, and perennial forbs, woody shrubs, and
' cryptogams. For the purposes of this discussion, cryptogams will not be counted in the
total vegetation cover value. A total of fourteen individual flowering plant species were
encountered during cover sampling. The plant species encountered and their
^ characteristicsnre presented in Table 2.
3.1 RECLAIMED AREA
^ The reclaimed area of the Eastside Mine includes the former portal, bench, facilities, coal
storage, and sediment control structures. This azea was reclaimed to a gently south and
' west-sloping toeslope landform that blends into the surrounding topography. As with the
native azea, the soils are gravelly silty clays, with a lazge proportion of small colluvial
rock. The reclaimed area has been revegetated to a mixed grassland with a significant
' woody plant component. The visually dominant species aze Artemisia tridentata (big
sagebrush), Chrysothamnus nauseosus (rubber rabbitbrush), Agropyron intermedium
(intermediate wheatgrass), Agropyron smithii (western wheatgrass), and Astragalus titer
(cicer milkvetch). Other significant species include Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), Poa
ampla (big bluegrass), and Atriplez confertifolia (shadscale saltbrush).
' 3.1.1 Vegetation Cover
' Total vegetation cover of flowering plants on the reclaimed azea this year was 57.47
percent. Crraminoids provided 26.53 percent mean cover (41.45% relaflve cover), forbs
contributed 13.33 percent mean cover (24.35% relative cover), and four woody plants
' accounted for 17.60 percent mean cover and 34.19 percent relative cover. A summary of
the 2006 cover sampling data is presented in Table 3.
Astragalus cicer was the dominant flowering plant species and had the highest mean
cover (12.93%) as well as the highest relative cover, 23.87 percent. Five additional
tastside Goal Comparry Eastside Mine Page 4
2006 Vegetation Sampling Report