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• importance of both the previous 4 months' and 6 months' precipitation were <br />the most influential. 1998 data for cumulative prior 6 months place it as the <br />second driest of the six year, period (Figure 3). Consideration of the previous 4 <br />months cumulative moisture similarly places 1998 somewhat below the middle <br />of the range of variation over the past six years. Figure 5 indicates that while <br />1997 was a very cool year, distinctly cooler than any year since 1986, 1998 <br />was more nearly average. In general, cool temperatures would be expected to <br />ameliorate any deficiency in precipitation by lowering evapotranspiration. Also, <br />in general, cool temperatures can be expected to enhance productivity of the <br />primarily cool-season plant cover in both reclaimed and native areas. <br /> Over the period of observation at the Seneca II-W Mine, total vegetation cover <br /> in the 1991/1993 reclamation area was 54.8, 32.5, 45.9, .and 30.5 percent in <br /> 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998, respectively. When examined from the <br />• <br /> standpoint of what climatic indices seemed to have correlated most closely <br /> between total vegetation cover at the Seneca II-W Mine and the favorable <br /> growing conditions of 1995, 1996 and 1997, it would appear that the Total <br /> Precipitation for the Previous 6 months (Figure 3) or the Total Precipitation for <br /> the Previous 4 Months (Figure 4) were better predictors than the Total <br /> Precipitation for the Previous 12 Months (Figure 2). Both .Figures 3 and 4 <br /> showed that 1995 was greatly superior to other years and this corresponds <br /> to the extremely high levels of vegetation growth that were observed in 1995. <br /> 1996 shows up as somewhat less favorable (previous 6 months, Figure 3) or <br /> considerably less favorable (previous 4 months, Figure 4). 1997 approached <br /> 1995 on previous 6 months graph (Figure 3) and is second only to 1995 on the <br /> previous 4 months graph (Figure 4). The observed drop in cover in 1996 and <br /> its rise again in 1997 would appear to support the importance of both the <br />• previous 4 months' and 6 months' precipitation were the most influential. Cool <br />L4 <br />