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. Section 780.18(b) Continued <br />Shrub Density Over Time, document that it may not be realistic to assume that <br />comparability of total plant cover and production can be re-established within the bond <br />liability period. <br />Comparison of total cover between well-established woody plant communities and <br />reclaimed areas dominated by herbaceous species is complicated by the nature of <br />woody versus non-woody plant cover. For non-woody plants, cover measurements <br />are by the nature of this type of plant limited to the cover provided by the current <br />years growth and, as such, reflect the general vigor of individual plants and the plant <br />community as a whole. For woody plant species, however, cover measurements <br />typically include both leaf and shoot growth from the present year and the existing <br />plant canopy which reflects shoot growth over a number of previous years. The latter <br />is generally comprised of a "skeleton" of wood, most of which is dead xylem, covered <br />by a thin layer of live cambium and the dead exterior bark. The degree to which the <br />cover afforded by the entire woody plant structure is directly comparable to the live <br />annual growth cover of herbaceous plants is arguable. <br />From a practical standpoint, the cumulative cover, as measured for woody plants, <br />cannot generally be duplicated in any given single year by non-woody plants beginning <br />from growth points at or below the soil surface. Consequently, it may be appropriate <br />to address the differences in cover between the existing woody plant dominated <br />reference areas and the herbaceous dominated reclaimed areas when attempting to <br />make a statistical comparison. <br />TR-19 780-85a Revised August 1999 <br />