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Mountain Brush type). These estimates are contained in the range site descriptions for these <br />units. For the mountain loam range site, production of sites in excellent condition during an <br />average precipitation year is 1,125 pounds per acre or 0.7 AUM per acre (with 50 percent <br />proper use). The brushy loam range site under similar conditions has a calculated proper <br />stocking rate of 0.8 AUM /acre. <br />It can be seen that herbaceous production in the reclaimed areas has resulted in greater <br />allowable stocking rates than either of the reference areas. The reclaimed area allowable <br />stocking rates also tar exceed those based on the SCS-estimated potential production of native <br />vegetation in excellent condition, as presented in the mountain loam and brushy loam range site <br />descriptions. <br />Alfalfa is a species of particular interest in the Seneca II Mine reclamation. The contribution of <br />alfalfa to total herbaceous production was high in the reclaimed areas seeded in the early and <br />mid 1980's (e.g. Wadge Pasture). Beginning in 1985, the alfalfa component of the seed mix <br />was reduced to 1/2 Ib. per acre, and then further reduced to 1/4 Ib. per acre beginning in <br />• 1986. Reflecting this reduction, based on 1995 data, alfalfa comprised 24.7 percent of the <br />total herbaceous production in the 1983 Reclaimed Areas, 14.0 percent of the total herbaceous <br />production in the 1987 Reclaimed Areas, and 6.1 percent of the 1990 Reclaimed Areas. In the <br />1996 sample production data, the 1989 reclaimed areas averaged 19.7 percent alfalfa, the <br />1992 areas averaged 9.0 percent, the PECOCO Pasture area was 12.3 percent. <br />The Wadge Pasture, when sampled in 1988 and 1989 (see 1988 and 1989 Seneca II <br />Revegetation Monitoring Reports), had 51 percent and 50 percent, respectively, of the annual <br />herbaceous production accounted for by alfalfa. In subsequent years, alfalfa has constituted a <br />smaller proportion of total herbaceous production: <br />YEAR % of Herb. Prod. Provided by Alfalfa Absolute Percent Cover by Alfalfa <br />1 988 51 33. 5 <br />1989 50 27. 3 <br />1990 31 26. 1 <br />1 991 40 36. 4 <br />1992 30.5 27. 1 <br />• <br />21 <br />