Laserfiche WebLink
The Historic Record Concept <br />The historic record concept envisions establishment of revegetation success criteria <br />through the sampling of a vegetation community or communities over apre-determined <br />period of time. This repeated quantitative sampling establishes a range of values for <br />the parameters of interest based on the variability in the physical environment of the <br />vegetation community. The range of parameter values are then averaged to establish a <br />reasonable set of revegetation success criteria values, based on the actual responses of a <br />vegetation community to the natural environment. <br />In establishing a historic record, the most critical factor revolves around selection of <br />the representative vegetation community to be sampled for the historic record. The <br />vegetation community should be representative of the vegetation community to be re- <br />established on the reclaimed landscape. Further, the physical characteristics (slope, <br />aspect, parent material, soils, drainage patterns) supporting the vegetation community <br />to be sampled need to closely approximate the conditions to be established on the post- <br />mining landscape. <br />The Historic Record Concept at the West Elk Mine <br />Mountain Coal Company (MCC) contacted CDMG to explore options for establishing <br />revegetation success criteria through the use of historic records at the West Elk Mine. <br />The suggestion was made by CDMG that a vegetation community be selected which <br />closely represents the type of vegetation community which would be expected to be <br />established by the approved reclamation and revegetation plan for the West Elk Mine. <br />This vegetation community would then be quantitatively sampled. After collecting the <br />data, the mean values from each parameter for each of the sample years would be <br />averaged to obtain a historic record revegetation success standard for each quantitative <br />parameter. <br />In order to obtain a representative record of the variability of the microclimate and <br />precipitation of the area, and therefore the effect on vegetation growth, it was <br />determined that three years of precipitation data should comprise the historic record. <br />For the purposes of the historic record; one low, one average, and one high <br />precipitation year would be represented, based on precipitation records from a weather <br />recording station in the area. Determination of the type of precipitation year (dry, <br />normal, wet) would be made based on the precipitation sum preceding the growing <br />season, referred to as "pre-growing season" precipitation. It was concluded that the <br />sum of precipitation over the months following the prior year's growing season, and <br />preceding the current year's growing season would be an acceptable quantitative tool in <br />predicting vegetative growth during the current year's growing season. <br />For the purposes of collecting historic record vegetation data at the West Elk Mine, <br />"wet" years were defined as those years in which the "pre-growing season" <br />precipitation total (as recorded by the National Weather Service or their designee) is <br />-3- <br />