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• INTRODUCTION Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Seneca Il Mine was undertaken in July 2000 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 specified by SCC. Reclamation Units and Sampling Locations The reclamation sampling units sampled at the Seneca II Mine in 2000 are shown on Maps 1A and 18, "2000 Monitoring Sample Locations". The reclamation areas sampled in 2000 were the 1985 and 1998 Reclamation Areas. The 1985 Reclamation sampled in 2000 was an isolated section along an old road that previously had not been sampled. The grazing unit referred to as Wadge Pasture consists of reclamation begun in various years during the 1980's. During year 2000 it was sampled for woody plant density using atwo-stage sampling design (see below) and the sample locations are shown on Map 2. Reference Area Sampling The Mountain Brush and Sagebrush reference areas were sampled tb provide data for comparison with reclaimed area data. Reference Area sampling locations are shown on Maps 3 and 4. Cover Sampling • Cover data were collected along 50 m transects using a point intercept method in which data were recorded as interceptions of a point with plant species, litter, standing dead plant material, soil or rock. Plant material produced during 2000 and still standing was tallied by species. Litter was considered to be any organic material that had fallen, or had begun to fall to the soil surface. Standing dead was any dead plant material that was produced in previous years but which was still standing and had not lodged or broken off to become litter. Inorganic materials greater than 1 cm in diameter were considered rock. The cover sampling points were optically projected using a Cover-Point Optical Point Projection Device developed by ESCO Associates. The 50 m transects were randomly located and oriented in the reclaimed and reference areas. Fifty points were collected at each transect and distributed evenly along the transect. A pair of points were collected at each even-numbered meter mark with points sampled on opposite sides of the transect, 0.5 m from the transect. First hit interceptions were used to calculate absolute top layer foliar cover (see COVER column in data tables) by dividing the number of interceptions for a particular species, or ground cover type by the total number of points taken (50). First hit relative vegetation cover was calculated by dividing first hit absolute cover for each species by the total first hit vegetation cover. All-layer absolute cover (COVER-ALL column in data tables) was calculated by dividing all hits (first-hits and additional-hits) for particular species by the total number of points taken (50). In addition, all- layer relative cover was calculated using all hits for particular species divided by the total hits accumulated during sampling of the transect. Herbaceous Production Sampling Herbaceous production sampling was accomplished using one-half square meter (0.5 mz) circular plots within which all herbaceous growth in a vertical projection was removed by clipping, and placed in labeled paper bags. When alfalfa (Medicago saliva) occurred, it was placed in separate, labeled bags. Lichens and mosses present in the sample plot were not collected. Clipped material was returned to the ESCO laboratory and dried at 105 °C for 24 hours, then weighed to the nearest 0.1 gm.