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• proper use). The brushy loam range site under similar conditions has a calculated proper <br />stocking rate of 0.8 AUM /acre. <br />It can be seen that herbaceous production in the reclaimed areas has resulted in greater <br />allowable stocking rates than either of the reference areas. The reclaimed area allowable <br />stocking rates also far exceed those based on the SCS-estimated potential production of native <br />vegetation in excellent condition, as presented in the mountain loam and brushy loam range <br />site descriptions. <br />Alfalfa is a species of particular interest in the Seneca II Mine reclamation. The contribution of <br />alfalfa to total herbaceous production was high in the reclaimed areas seeded in the early and <br />mid 1980's. Beginning in 1985, the alfalfa component of the seed mix was reduced to 1/2 Ib. <br />per acre, and then further reduced to 1/4 Ib. per acre beginning in 1986. Reflecting this <br />reduction, based on 1995 data, alfalfa comprised 24.7 percent of the total herbaceous <br />production in the 1983 Reclaimed Areas, 14.0 percent of the total herbaceous production in the <br />1987 Reclaimed Areas, and 6.1 percent of the 1990 Reclaimed Areas. In the 1996 sample <br />• production data, the 1989 reclaimed areas averaged 19.7 percent alfalfa, the 1992 areas <br />averaged 9.0 percent, the PECOCO Pasture area was 12.3 percent. In the 1997 sample <br />production data from the 1990 reclaimed areas, alfalfa averaged 19.2 percent of total <br />herbaceous production. <br />Shrub Density <br />Figure 3 graphically presents shrub density totals for reclaimed areas sampled in 1997. Review <br />of 1985 through 1997 sampling data for the Seneca II Mine shows the following documented <br />average shrub density by year: <br />Sampling Year Stems /acre <br />1985 378 <br />1987 300 <br />1988 314 <br />1989 288 <br />1990 281 <br />u <br />17 <br />