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• INTRODUCTION <br />Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Seneca VI-W Mine <br />was undertaken in July 2001 by ESCO Associates to facilitate SCC's continuing monitoring of the <br />progress of these areas in relation to revegetation performance standards. Methods, sample <br />areas, and sample sizes were those specified by SCC. <br />METHODS <br />Reclamation Units and Sampling Locations <br />The reclamation sampling units sampled at the Seneca II-W Mine in 2001 are shown on Map 1, <br />"2001 Reclaimed Area Monitoring Locations". The reclamation areas sampled in 2001 were the <br />1995, 1997, and 1999 Reclamation areas. <br />Extended Reference Area Sampling <br />The Aspen, Mountain Brush, and Sagebrush reference areas were sampled to provide data for <br />comparison with reclaimed area data. Reference Area sampling locations are shown on Map 2, <br />"2001 Extended Reference Area Monitoring Locations". <br />Cover Sampling <br />Cover data were collected along 50 m transects using a point intercept method in which data <br />were recorded as interceptions of a point with plant species, litter, standing dead plant material, <br />soil or rock. Plant material produced during 2001 and still standing was tallied by species. Litter <br />was considered to be any organic material that had fallen, or had begun to fall to the sail surtace. <br />Standing dead was any dead plant material that was produced in previous years but which was <br />still standing and had not lodged or broken off to become litter. Inorganic materials greater than 1 <br />cm in diameter were considered rock. The cover sampling points were optically projected using a <br />Cover-Point Optical Point Projection Device developed by ESCO Associates. The 50 m transects <br />were randomly located and oriented in the reclaimed and reference areas. Fifty points were <br />collected at each transect and distributed evenly along the transect. A pair of points were <br />collected at each even-numbered meter mark with points sampled on opposite sides of the <br />transect 0.5 m from the transect. <br />First hit interceptions were used to calculate absolute top layer foliar cover (see COVER column <br />in data tables) by dividing the number of interceptions for a particular species, or ground cover <br />type by the total number of points taken (50). First hit relative vegetation cover was calculated by <br />