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Therefore, lt is recommended that the inappropriate production standard of 1,784 Ibs per acre be <br />vacated in lieu of a comparison with site-speck data from the selected reference areas. Furthermore, <br />since production and ground Dover are usually paired for such analyses, it is recommended to vacate the <br />44.3% standard for ground cover as well in lieu of comparison with site-spedfic data from the selected <br />reference areas. Even though monitoring data show that both communities would pass this current <br />standard, this recommendation is made because testing against a reference area is the predominant <br />means of comparison for this variable in the coal industry. <br />Furthermore, perusal of Table RS-1 indicates that the diversity standard for perennial forts (5%) <br />has not been achieved for the riparian community, although the grassland community has exceeded this <br />value. Additional review of this table also indicates that neither the grassland nor riparian native areas <br />(reference areas) would pass such a standard. Therefore, since lt is believed that this standard was <br />originally established in at least a somewhat arbitrary manner, Cedar Creek recommends that it should be <br />revised as well for both communities to a level of 3% combined perennial fort relative cover <br />(composition). In either case, sufficient forts would be present to act as a seed source for eventual <br />successional advancement. <br />Given these alternate proposed comparison criteria, Table RS-2 was developed to demonstrate that <br />based on 2004 monitoring data, a bond release comparison would provide positive results (with one <br />exception). The exception concerns woody plant density in the grassland area where the standard is 100 <br />live plants per acre. The sample mean from an inadequate sample is greater than this value, however, <br />since collection of an adequate sample is nearly impossible for this variable, one cannot make such a <br />direct comparison and must resort to a reverse-null hypothesis test. In this regard, the test fails, <br />primarily because of the very high variability of the data set Although monitoring data show failure in <br />this regard, it is Cedar Creek's recommendation that a total population count be utilized for bond release <br />evaluations in 2005 and 2006. It is anticipated that such a total population count will result in elevated <br />values for shrub density because of the invasion that is occurring around the perimeter of the <br />revegetation that is not well represented by the sampling effort. This invasion should provide sufficent <br />woody plant density to support a direct comparison against the standard with positive results. <br />~D~Alk3 ~~DS Affiffi~nA976$ IrvC Page 17 Blue Ribbon Mine - Revegetation Evaluation <br />