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• The final revegetation success standazd for plant cover for this site is to be determined based <br />upon the sampling of the Loadout Reference Area Prior to the initiation of the 2006 sampling <br />effort, the Division verbally directed IlVIE and the regulations say that Reference Area sampling <br />was unnecessary for interim reclamation monitoring and no relevant data is available for the <br />Loadout Reference Area The original baseline sampling completed in 1980 involved "basal <br />cover sampling" and is not comparable to total plant cover sampling. However, based upon the <br />historic sampling of the Grassland Reference Area at the Southfield Mine Area, where sample <br />adequacy was obtained in 1987 and 1997 sampling which yielded a value of 40.50 percent. <br />Ninety percent of this value would be 36.45 percent. <br />The reseeding efforts at the Loadout site have met with varying degrees of success, mostly <br />substandazd. According to the 2005 Annual Reclamation Report, this site was originally seeded <br />with the permanent seed mixture in 1997 and reseeded again in 1999. Thus the 2006 <br />reclamation monitoring effectively represents vegetation growth at the end of seven complete <br />growing seasons since the last reseeding. The total cover value obtained from the 2006 <br />reclamation sampling of the Loadout Reclamation was determined to average 44.67 percent. <br />Since this value exceeds the probable revegetation success standazd of 36.45 percent, it can be <br />concluded that the total plant cover on this site would be considered to be successful. Since the <br />actual "total plant cover" value (44.67 %) for this reclaimed site exceeds the probable <br />revegetation success standazd for this site (36.45 %), it can be concluded by direct comparison <br />that the "total plant cover" in this reclamation block appears to salsify the revegetation success <br />standard with respect to plant cover. <br />• The locations of the 15 cover transects aze shown on Map 2, Southfield Loadout Area - <br />Vegetation Transect Location Map. Copies of the original field data sheets for this area aze <br />found in Appendix G -Copies of Loadout Reclamation -Production -Plant Cover Field Data <br />Sheets. The sample adequacy calculations in Table 2, Southfield Mine Sample Adequacy <br />Calculations, document that the number of samples required to characterize this site with respect <br />to plant cover at the 90 percent confidence interval was 9.7 transects. <br />Production. The results of the 30 production transects on this area are summarized in Table 10, <br />Loadout Reclamation -Production. The average forage production on this site averaged 69.94 <br />g/1/4mZ or 2,492.7 pounds of air-dry forage per acre. Perennial grasses contributed 34.3 g/1/4m2 <br />or 49.0 percent; perennial forbs contributed 0.36 g/I/4mZ or 0.5 percent; and annuals contributed <br />35.47 g/1/4mZ or 50.7 percent of the total forage production on this azea <br />The final revegetation success standazd for forage production is to be based upon sampling of the <br />Loadout Reference Area and by using a direct comparison of these production values. No <br />reference area sampling was conducted during this interim monitoring and therefore, no absolute <br />revegetation success standazd is available. However, based upon the previous reference azea <br />sampling conducted on the Grassland Reference Area at the Southfield Mine Area conducted in <br />1987 wherein it was determined that forage production averaged 74.08 grams / mZ or 660.1 <br />pounds of air dry forage per acre and in August of 1997 wherein production was determined to <br />average 32.55 g/1/4 mZ or 1,160 pounds of air dry forage per acre, a relafive comparison can be <br />made. Using these historic reference area data, the relative revegetation success standard for <br />tt <br />