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• INTRODUCTION Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Seneca II-W Mine was undertaken in July 1999 by ESCO Associates to facilitate SCC's continuing monitoring of the progress of these areas in relation to revegetation performance standards. Methods, sample areas, and sample sizes were those specified by SCC. METHODS Reclamation Units and Sampling Locations The reclamation sampling unit sampled at the Seneca II-W Mine in 1999 is shown on Map 1, "1999 Vegetation Monitoring Locations". The reclamation areas sampled in 1999 were the 1995 and 1997 Reclamation areas. Extended Reference Area Sampling The Aspen, Mountain Brush, and Sagebrush reference areas were sampled to provide data for comparison with reclaimed area data. Reference Area sampling locations are shown on Map 1, "1999 Vegetation Monitoring Locations'. Cover Sampling Cover data were collected along 50 m transects using a point intercept method in which data were recorded as interceptions of a point with plant species, litter, standing dead plant material, soil or rock. Plant material produced during 1999 and still standing was tallied by species. Litter • was considered to be any organic material that had fallen, or had begun to fall to the soil surface. Standing dead was any dead plant material that was produced in previous years but which was still standing and had not lodged or broken off to become litter. Inorganic materials greater than 1 cm in diameter were considered rock. The cover sampling points were optically projected using a Cover-Point Optical Point Projection Device developed by ESCO Associates. The 50 m transects were randomly located and oriented in the reclaimed and reference areas. Fifty points were collected at each transect and distributed evenly along the transect. A pair of points were collected at each meter with points sampled on opposite sides of the transect at each meter mark, 0.5 m from the transect. First hit interceptions were used to calculate absolute top layer foliar cover (see COVER column in data tables) by dividing the number of interceptions for a particular species, or ground cover type by the total number of points taken (100). First hit relative vegetation cover was calculated by dividing first hit absolute cover for each species by the total first hit vegetation cover. All-layer absolute cover (COVER-ALL column in data tables) was calculated by dividing all hits (first-hits and additional-hits) for particular species by the total number of points taken (100). In addition, all-layer relative cover was calculated using all hits for particular species divided by the total hits accumulated during sampling of the transect. Herbaceous Production Sampling Herbaceous production sampling was accomplished using one-half square meter (0.5 mZ) circular quadrats within which all herbaceous growth in a vertical production was removed by clipping, and placed in labeled paper bags. When alfalfa (Medicago saliva) occurred, it was placed in separate, labeled bags. Lichens and mosses present in the sample quadrat were not collected. Clipped material was returned to the ESCO laboratory and dried at 105 °C for 24 hours, then • weighed to the nearest 0.1 gm.