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contribution by native species as these younger stands mature. <br /> Alfalfa is a species of particular interest in the Seneca II Mine reclamation. The contribution of <br /> alfalfa to total production was high in the reclaimed areas seeded in the early and mid 1980's <br /> (Areas C and D). The oldest reclaimed unit sampled for production, Area B, had only 14 percent <br /> of the total production accounted for by alfalfa. Seeding records indicate that this area was <br /> heavily planted with alfalfa , yet for unknown reasons, it did not establish nearly as sucessfully <br /> as areas seeded similarly in subsequent years. As of 1985, this area had a modest 19 percent of <br /> total production provided by alfalfa, a figure that has declined to the 1989 figure of 14 percent, <br /> perhaps as a result of competiton from grasses and sagebrush, which established a relatively <br /> heavy presence in this area. <br /> Area C had 42 percent of the production accounted for by alfalfa, while Area D had 50 percent of <br /> the production in alfalfa. Area D, the Wadge Pasture, was sampled in 1988 (see 1988 Seneca II <br /> Revegelation Monitoring Report) and had 51 percent of the annual production accounted for by <br /> alfalfa. The slight decrease in alfalfa from 1988 to 1989 in the Wadge Pasture (Area D) may <br /> • have been more the result of the on-going drought than the effect of the three years'grazing; <br /> effects of grazing on reducing the presence of so deep-rooted a species as alfalfa may be many <br /> more years in coming. <br /> The most recently reclaimed areas(E,F, G, and H) show a significant reduction in alfalfa, as a <br /> result of reduction in the amount of alfalfa in the seed mix (see Appendix 3). Reclaimed Areas F <br /> and H had two percent or less of the total production in alfalfa. Areas E and G, both of which <br /> contain some areas seeded in the mid 1980's had 18 percent and 21 percent of the production <br /> accounted for by alfalfa, respectively. <br /> Shrub Density <br /> Figure 3 graphically presents shrub density totals for reclaimed Areas B through H. The lowest <br /> shrub densities (approximately 75 to 100 stems/acre) were found in Areas C and F, while the <br /> highest (approximately 475 to 650 slems/acre) occurred in Areas B and D. The low densities in <br /> . Area C are most likely due to a heavy cover of introduced perennial species and more fimited use <br /> 20 <br />