Laserfiche WebLink
1 <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br />1 <br />1 <br />1 <br />1 <br />A weighted average of the reclaimed areas results in a shrub density of 447 <br />shrubs per acre. A comparison can be made between results of the 1984, 1985 <br />and 1986 sampling years. The weighted average for 1984 and 1985 was 225 and <br />226 shrubs per acre, respectively. This indicates that shrub densities are <br />increasing over time. This trend needs to be monitored to verify that shrub <br />densities will continue to increase to meet the permit requirement of 1,000 <br />shrubs per acre. <br />3.4 PRODUCTIVITY <br />The post-mining land use for the Hayden Gulch Mine is rangeland; therefore, <br />productivity is a primary concern for supporting livestock and wildlife. <br />The productivity for each area is listed below. <br />Pounds of Dry Matter/Acre <br />1 <br />1 <br />1 <br />1 <br />1 <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br />1 <br />1 <br />1 <br />Reclamation Year Grasses <br />Forbs Total <br /> 6~D',,,,r~ <br />' <br />1979 & 1980 ~,~`~ 93 <br />( 6,548 ~~ <br />'~ <br />~ 6,641 <br />1981 X65 ~' <br />~ <br />334 <br />~~~ ~ 2,699 <br />1982 a <br />2,291 ~~` y~~~390 2,681 <br />1983 927 399 1,326 <br />1984 2,615 121 2,136 <br />A weighted average for herbaceous production is 3,051 pounds per acre. The <br />higher grass productivity value for areas reclaimed in 1979 and 1980 is due <br />to the dense stand of smooth brome. The weighted average for production for <br />1985 and 1984 was 1,631 and 2498 pounds per acre, respectively. The lower <br />values of production for 1985 is likely due to the drought condition during <br />the growing season. <br />4.0 CONCLUSION <br />Generally it appears that reclaimed areas are meeting or are improving <br />towards meeting the revegetation success criteria required for bond release. <br />Vegetation cover data show that as the age of the stand increases, cover <br />values increase; therefore, cover should be sufficient to control erosion. <br />-11- <br />