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• INTRODUCTION <br />Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Seneca II-W Mine <br />was undertaken in July 1999 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 unit sampled at the Seneca II-W Mine in 1999 is shown on Map 1, <br />"1999 Vegetation Monitoring Locations". The reclamation areas sampled in 1999 were the 1995 <br />and 1997 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 1, <br />"1999 Vegetation 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 1999 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 soil surface. <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 meter with points sampled on opposite sides of the transect at each meter <br />mark, 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 (100). First hit relative vegetation cover was calculated <br />by dividing first hit absolute cover for each species by the total first hit vegetation cover. All-layer <br />absolute cover (COVER-ALL column in data tables) was calculated by dividing all hits (first-hits <br />and additional-hits) for particular species by the total number of points taken (100). In addition, <br />all-layer relative cover was calculated using all hits for particular species divided by the total hits <br />accumulated during sampling of the transect. <br />Herbaceous Production Sampling <br />Herbaceous production sampling was accomplished using one-half square meter (0.5 mZ) circular <br />quadrats within which all herbaceous growth in a vertical production was removed by clipping, <br />and placed in labeled paper bags. When alfalfa (Medicago saliva) occurred, it was placed in <br />separate, labeled bags. Lichens and mosses present in the sample quadrat were not collected. <br />Clipped material was returned to the ESCO laboratory and dried at 105 °C for 24 hours, then <br />• weighed to the nearest 0.1 gm. <br />