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RECOMMENDATIONS <br />Monitoring of the revegetation status of the 1983 and 1987 reclaimed sites <br />at the Southfield Mine site suggests that while both sites appear to satisfy the <br />apparent revegetation success standards with respect to total plant cover and <br />forage production, two potential deficiencies with respect to the revegetation <br />success are associated with these sites. These are in the areas of shrub density <br />and species diversity. Unfortunately, both deficiencies might be more a result <br />of changing regulatory polices than anything else. <br />With respect to woody plant densities, evidence suggests that both <br />reclaimed sites are deficient to the apparent standard. However, there has been <br />a great deal of regulatory evolution associated with this standard. As pointed out <br />previously, the definition of woody plants has changed since this mine and the <br />original reclamation plan were prepared. Considerable confusion has been <br />associated with what constitutes a woody plant. Half shrubs were originally <br />considered to be woody plants and now are not considered as such. <br />Unfortunately, the Division's present and past Vegetation Guidelines, while they <br />have attempted to address this confusion, have not totally claritied the issue. <br />They contain several examples of half shrubs which they state should not be <br />included in "density sampling." Following the recommendations found in these <br />Guidelines, the shrub density standard for the Grassland Reference Area is 4.20 <br />plants per 50 square meters. This value includes Plains Prickly pear a species <br />apparently considered by the Division as a shrub but by many botanists as a <br />half shrub. Excluding this species from the counts, the shrub density standard <br />would become 1.50 plants per 50 square meters. This question needs to be <br />resolved by the Division before it can be adequately determined exactly what <br />needs to be done with respect to addressing these apparent deficiencies with <br />respect to revegetation at the Southfield Mine with respect to shrub density. <br />14 <br />