PERMFILE118599

• Permit No: C1981026
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 12/11/2001
• Doc Name: VEGETATION INFORMATION
• Section_Exhibit Name: APPENDIX F
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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INTRODUCTION
This report contains vegetation information for Wyoming Fuel
Company's Canadian strip mine permit area (Figure 1F).
During 1979 Wyoming Fuel Company contracted Mined Land
Reclamation Consultants (MRC) to conduct vegetation studies on
approximately 400 acres. This acreage included the W~ of the NWT
of Section 11 and the N~ of Section 10 (Figure 1F). Upon review
of this study the OSM and CMLRB determined that it would be necessary
for Wyoming Fuel Company to resample the alkali sagebrush vegetation
type for the possibility of selecting another reference area. The
necessity for this resampling resulted from a significant difference
in production between the alkali sagebrush mine area and reference
area (see Table lOF). Wyoming Fuel Company was also required to
collect woody plant density information from the vegetation types
and their reference areas. This additional information was required
by OSM by stipulation (see Attachment No. 1).
As a result of these stipulations and because Wyoming Fuel
Company was attempting to acquire additional federal coal leases,
a vegetation study was conducted during 1980 to cover potential
lease areas. Wyoming Fuel Company's 1980 vegetation study included
the N~ of Section 10 and the SWi, NW ;, SW; of Section 3 (see
Figure 3F for outline of 1980 study area). Presently, the acreage
in Section 3 has been denied by the U.S.G.S. and BLM for leasing.
Vegetation information from Section 3 has, however, been utilized
for analysis in this report.
Vegetation studies for lands within the existing permitted
area of Pit No. 1 in Section 2 was not collected. This area in
Section 2 had previously been disturbed rendering the collection
of baseline data and any meaningful comparison to the pre-mining
environment impractical.
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