Laserfiche WebLink
• Seasonality of the reference area was dominated by cool season species (eight species), <br />but also included warm season and deciduous species. Graminoids were neazly evenly <br />split between warm (three species) and cool (two species) season species. All forb <br />species encountered were cool season. The shrub species was deciduous. <br />1985 RECLAMATION AREA <br />The 1985 Reclamation Area encompasses approximately 23 acres of reclaimed pit in <br />the north central azea of the Keenesburg Mine permit azea. The 1985 Reclamation <br />Area is composed of two parcels (west and east) separated by a north-south haul road <br />corridor. This area is nearly flat with a gentle slope (< I °) to the north and east. <br />Reclamation and coincident revegetation within this area took place in 1985. Replaced <br />soils were sandy in texture. The revegetation seed mix differed slightly in composition <br />and representation of cool season grasses from the seed mix applied to the 1986 and <br />1987 reclaimed areas, yielding a slightly different species composition. Specific <br />vegetation sampling information for the 1985 Reclamation Area is contained in Table 3 <br />and Table 7. <br />Vegetation Cover <br />Total vegetation cover of the 1985 Reclamation Area was 24.20 percent in 1997. <br />• Based on cover sampling, graminoids provided 21.60 percent mean cover (88.00% <br />relative cover), forbs accounted for 1.80 percent mean cover (7.33% relative cover), <br />and shrubs 0.80 percent mean cover (4.67% relative cover). <br />Three grass species dominated the vegetation cover of the 1985 reclamation azea; <br />Calamovilfa longifo/ia (prairie sandreed) with 8.00 percent total cover and 29.33 <br />percent relative cover, Bromus marginams (mountain brome) contributed 5.00 percent <br />total cover and 16.67 percent relative cover, and Andropogon hallii with 4.00 percent <br />total vegetation cover and 20.00 percent relative cover. Together, these species <br />accounted for 79 percent of grass cover and 70 percent of total vegetation cover. Four <br />additional species provided significant cover (relative cover greater than three percent). <br />Two were warm season grasses, one was a perennial forb, and one was a woody shrub. <br />These species were; Sporobolus cryptandrus (sand dropseed) with 2.20 percent mean <br />cover (11.33% relative cover), Bouteloua gracilis with 1.60 percent mean cover and <br />8.00 percent relative cover, Ambrosia psilostachya (ragweed) with 1.40 percent mean <br />cover (6.00% relative cover), and Artemesia 6lifolia at 0.60 percent mean cover and <br />3.33 percent relative cover. <br />Vegetative litter (prior yeazs growth, dead wood, and other biologic organic material) <br />comprised 59.00 percent ground cover within the 1985 Reclamation Area. Bare soil <br />comprised 16.80 percent of the ground cover encountered in the 1985 Reclamation <br />Area. No rock was recorded in the cover sampling. <br />-7- <br />