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<br />RESULTS <br />A listing of the plant species encountered during the 1991 sampling efforts <br />is contained in Table 1, Plant Species List. This list contains 31 plant species <br />which were encountered during the 1991 cover, production or woody plant <br />density sampling efforts. This compares with a total of 22 species which were <br />encountered in the 1989 monitoring. Since the identical sampling intensity was <br />utilized both years, these species counts suggest that species diversity on the <br />reclaimed areas has increased since the 1989 monitoring effort. <br />Cover. A total of 5 transects were taken to evaluate plant cover for both the <br />1983 and 1987 reclamation seeding. Sample adequacy at the 90 percent <br />confidence interval was found to equal 0.20 transects for the 1983 site and 8.0 <br />samples for the 1987 site. Based upon the sample adequacy calculations, these <br />data suggest that sufficient samples were taken to characterize the oldest <br />reclaimed areas to a very high degree of accuracy. <br />Total plant cover from the 1983 site was found. to equal 40.80 percent <br />(fable 2, Plant Cover and Composition of 1983 Reclamation Seeding). In 1989, <br />a total of 30.2 percent plant cover was found on this site. These data suggest <br />that total plant cover on this site has increased since 1989, probably as a result <br />of maturing of the stand and differences in growing season conditions. <br />Grasses dominated the seeded stand in 1991 contributing 95.12 percent <br />of the total plant cover. This compares with a grass composition of 98.01 <br />percent from the 1989 sampling and 49.8 percent from the 1987 sampling of this <br />site. These data suggest that the composition of grasses on this site appears <br />to have stabilized, suggesting that the site it close to reaching its mature state. <br />Western wheatgrass and Intermediate wheatgrass were the dominate <br />5 <br />