Laserfiche WebLink
(3.67% relative), Agropyron cristatum (crested wheatgrass) providing 1.58 percent mean <br />• cover (3.46% relative cover), and Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) with 0.74 and <br />3.02 percent mean and relative cover, respectively. <br />Vegetative litter (prior years growth, dead wood, and other biologic organic material) <br />comprised 37.26 percent ground cover overall within the 1995 reclamation azeas. Bare soil <br />comprised 23.16 percent of the ground cover. Rock accounted for an average of 0.11 percent <br />of ground cover this year. No cryptogams were encountered during the cover sampling in the <br />1995 reclamation azeas. <br />3.1.2.2 Herbaceous Production <br />Overall total herbaceous production within the 1995 reclamation areas was 118.38 g/mz <br />(1055 ]b/ac). Perennial grasses contributed the most to herbaceous production, 107.83 g/m2 <br />(961 lb/ac), accounting for 91.1 percent of total herbaceous production. Annual forbs <br />contributed the second highest production level with 5.94 g/m2 (53 lb/ac), which was 5.0 <br />percent of the total mean herbaceous production. Perennial forbs contributed 4.45 g/m2 (40 <br />Ib/ac) or 3.8 percent of total herbaceous production. Annual grasses contributed the least to <br />annual herbaceous production in this area this year (0.16 g/m2 or 1 lb/ac). Biennial forbs did <br />not contribute to total herbaceous production this season. <br />3.1.2.3 Species Composition <br />• Cover sampling identified four lifeforms and 26 species within the 1995 reclamation azeas. <br />The lifeforms included thirteen species of perennial Bass, one annual grass, three perennial <br />forbs, two biennial forbs, five annual forbs, one succulent, and one woody shrub. Of the <br />species encountered on the 1995 reclamation areas, eighteen were native and eight were <br />introduced. Perennial and biennial species outnumbered annual species by twenty to six. Cool <br />season species were more prevalent than warm season species (14 to 10 species) this year in <br />the 1995 reclamation areas. Warn and cool season graminoid species were equally <br />represented with seven species each. Seven fort species were identified as cool season and <br />three were warm season. The succulent was evergreen and the shrub was deciduous. <br />The 1995 reclamation areas had twelve species contributing greater than three percent relative <br />cover this year. These species included ten perennial grasses, one annual grass, and one <br />annual forb. These species included Calamovilfa longifolia (17.06%), Bromus marginatus <br />(14.47%), Agropyron dasystachyum (8.42%), Agropyron smithii (7.99%), Kochia scoparia <br />(7.99%), Bouteloua gracilis (7.56%), Oryzopsis hymenoides (5.62%), Bromus tectorum <br />(4.97%), Bouteloua curtipendula (4.75%), Sporobolus cryptandrus (3.67%), Agropyron <br />cristatum (3.46%), and Schizachyrium scoparium (3.02%). <br />3.1.3 1997 RECLAMATION AREAS <br />The 1997 reclamation areas sampled encompass approximately 18 acres of reclamation in four <br />distinct azeas within the Keenesburg Mine permit area. The areas are found throughout the <br />• disturbance area of the mine and include Area 3 that is a road corridor between the 1985/1986 <br />central reclamation areas and the 1986 east area, Area 14 (an area to the west of A pit), and <br />Coors Energy Company Page 8 <br />2004 Revegetation MoniWring Report <br />