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• Woody Plant Density Sampling Woody plant density sampling was undertaken in reclaimed area samples but did not occur in the reference areas. Woody plant density samples were collected along 50 m transects. All shrubs and subshrubs with root crowns located within the boundaries of 2 X 50 m quadrats ("belt transects") were tallied according to species and life stages as follows: Seedling, Mature, or Dead. The presence of dead individuals was recorded but did not contribute to woody plant density calculations. Li/e%rms Used in Data Presentation As a tool to enhance understanding of the collected data, the contents of all the data and summary tables are organized by lifeform. Lifefonn categories used here reflect growth habit and provenance (place of origin). Lifeform categories used include the following: native annual and biennial forbs, introduced annual and biennial forbs, native annual grasses, introduced annual grasses, native perennial forbs, introduced perennial forbs, native perennial graminoids (includes grasses and grass-like plants), introduced perennial graminoids, native shrubs, and trees. Plant Species Frequency and Density Measurements During the course of cover sampling, all plant species occurring within one meter on either side of the cover sample transect were noted as present within each sample. Frequency for each plant species observed during sampling was calculated by dividing the number of sample transects in which the species was observed by the total number of samples (see cover sample distribution by area above). As such, this value is probably more correctly known as "constancy". The total number of species (within each lifeform) observed in each 100 square meter sample provides a measure of "species density', indicating the relative species richness of different areas. These measures provide a means of examining progress toward the return of diverse • species composition in the reclaimed areas. Plant Species Listing Scientific names used follow Weber and Wittman (1996); common names cited are found in Beetle (1970), Nickerson et al. (1976), or Soil Conservation Service (1979). Cross reference to the substantially revised scientific nomenclature for the flora of Eastern Colorado, as set forth by Weber and Wittman (1996), may be determined by reference to Weber and Wittman (1992). During the course of the fieldwork, a list of all encountered plant species (quantitative plus incidental observations) was compiled for each reclamation area and the three reference areas. These lists are summarized in Appendix 2, Table 10, Species Present in All Areas, which includes current nomenclature and cross references to older nomenclature. It should be noted that all big sagebrush encountered were referred to as Seriphidium tridentatum. Photographic Record Within each reclamation and reference area, representative color photographs were taken to document the appearance of the vegetation in 1999 (Appendix 4). Within each photograph, a placard identifies the particular area being illustrated. Statistical Methods Statistical Design Cover and herbaceous production data were collected in all samples. Woody plant density samples were collected in the reclaimed areas but not in the reference area sampling. Although the reclaimed areas along and near the access road that were sampled in 1999 are not • homogeneous in nature, they were randomly sampled as one sample universe. Due to the lack of homogeneity (and small sample size), however, the means for cover, herbaceous production, and woody plant density are of less interest than the individual samples.