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• INTRODUCTION Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Seneca II-W Mine was undertaken in July 1997 by ESCO Associates to facilitate SCC's continuing monitoring of the progress of these areas in relation to revegetation performance standards. Methods, sample areas, and sample sizes were those speciiied by SCC. METHODS Reclamation Units and Sampling Locations Reclamation sampling units for the Seneca II-W Mine are shown on Map 1, "1997 Vegetation Monitoring Locations". The 1997 reclamation unit monitored was the 1991/1993 Reclaimed Area. Within the 1991/1993 Reclaimed Area, the SCC-specified number of samples were located randomly on maps produced by SCC using numbered grid cells and random numbers generated by computer. The SCC-assigned numbers of samples for a given parameter in a • given area reflected previously experienced sample variability or the level of precision required in a given area. Grid cell size was 100 feet x 100 feet in reclaimed areas. These grid cells were placed contiguously by computer in a Geographical Information System (GIS) rendering of reclamation areas to be sampled. Random number locations provided by computer were used to select grid cells, in the middle of which a sample point was placed, and shown on the map plotted from computer memory. These sample points were located as accurately as possible in the field. Cover and density sample transects were located and oriented using a blind throw of a meter stick. Cover Sampling Cover data were collected using a point intercept method in which data are tabulated as interceptions of a point with plant species, standing dead plant material, bare soil, litter, or rock. Each point was optically projected using a Cover-Point Optical Point Projection Device, developed by ESCO Associates, Inc. Each sample consisted of a randomly located and • randomly oriented 50 m transect, along which 50 sample points were systematically arranged. 1