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• percent of the total disturbance corresponds to the Big Sagebrush Vegetation Type. Therefore, the respective reference area values for plant cover and production were adjusted by these percentages to calculate an overall success standazd for plant cover and production. Applying these percentages to the plant cover values found in Table 3, Big Sagebrush Reference Area -Plant Cover and Table 5, Alkali Sagebrush Reference Area -Plant Cover, the plant cover revegetation success standazd for the Marr Mine area based upon the 2005 sampling is calculated to equa131,70 percent Production. All of the Reclamation Blocks and Reference Areas were sampled, using the simple random statistical sampling approach where all production transect locations were randomly located within the appropriate sample unit and along each transect, a total of three randomly located one-quarter square meter plots were clipped. The three plots were clipped by life forms for perennial grasses, perennial forbs, annuals and noxious weeds. This was the same transect used for cover and shrub density sampling, The three clip plots were then avenrged into a single transect datum for purposes of statistical analysis. Since the Division's Guidelines recommend that annuals and biennials, noxious weeds and shrub production are typically not clipped, but since the Kerr Permit requires that the production revegetation success standazd is based upon "total herbaceous production" we clipped all annuals, biennials and noxious weeds during the production sampling. However, after weighting the samples, it was determined that noxious weeds contributed so little to the overall production that they were excluded from the summary tables and these data were not used for purposes of revegetation success for production. All of the plots wherein noxious weeds were sampled and their corresponding • production values are found in the field data sheets in the Appendices. For each azea sampled a minimum of 30 production transects were used for sample adequacy calculations. Following clipping the hazvested plant materials were dried in a drying oven at 100 degrees C for a period of 24 hours. Applying the weighted average acreage percentages described previously for plant cover, to the herbaceous production data found in Table 4, Big Sagebrush Reference Area -Production and Table 6, Alkali Sagebnush Reference Area - Production, the total herbaceous production revegetation success standard for the Marr Mine area based upon the 2005 sampling is calculated to equa17.40 grams per one quarter square meter. Shrub Density. Starting at each of the 30 transect locations described above for the production sampling, the fifty-meter tape was laid out along a predetermined and randomly selected alignment. Woody stem density was determined using the center of the tape as a modified belt transect. The right-hand side of the transect was called Side A and the left-hand side of the tape was called Side B. Data collected from each side were added into a transect value which represents the number of shrubs sampled in the 100 m2 sample plot. These data are reported in the Results Section as to the number of shrubs per 100 mZ as well as the number of shrubs per acre as outlined in the Permit. The revegetation woody plant density success standard is 1,500 stems per acre or 37.06 stems per 100 mZ for all reclaimed areas at the Kerr Mine and Kerr Tipple areas.