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• 3.0 Determination of Current Annual Production <br />At five sample sites in the each of the seven year-old units, current annual production was collected <br />from a '/z mz quadrat frame placed one meter and 90° to the right (clockwise) of the ground cover <br />transect to facilitate avoidance of vegetation trampled by investigators during sample site location (see <br />Exhibit 1). From within each quadrat, all above ground current annual vegetation within the vertical <br />boundaries of the frame were clipped and bagged separately by life form as follows: <br />Perennial Grass Perennial frorb <br />Annual Grass Annual Forb <br />Shrub Noxious Weeds (if found) <br />All production samples were returned to the lab fw drying and weighing. Drying occurred at 105° C <br />until a stable weight was achieved (24 hours). Samples were then re-weighed to the nearest 0.1 gram. <br />4.0 Determination of Woodv Plant Density <br />• Colowyo, as well as several other entities, has found over the past several years that obtaining an <br />adequate sample wkh density belts as the sampling unit is difficuk and often impossible in reclaimed <br />areas. Typically this phenomenon is due to highly variable populations and patchiness of developing <br />shrubby areas that can be dominated by different species and age classes. Even sampling to a maximum <br />of 50 samples is often ineffective for capturing this variation. Therefore, beouse data are to be used for <br />managerial information sampling th adequacy for montorng is not required for woody plant density. <br />Two sampling methods are empoyed for monitoring woody plant density within the revegetated <br />units. The first method, bek transacts, was employed when the size of the unit exceeded approximately <br />one acre (all of the units sampled in 2004). At each sample site in these areas, a 2-meter wide by 50- <br />meter bng (occasionally 4 x 25 meter transacts were employed) bek trensect was established parallel to <br />the ground cover transact and in the direction of the next sampling point (in a cardinal direction -see <br />6chibit 1). Then wthin each belt, all woody plants (shrubs, trees, subshrubs, and succulents) were <br />enumerated by species and age class. Determination of whether or not a plant could be counted was <br />dependent upon the location of its main stem or root collar where k exited the ground surface with <br />regard to belt limits. A total of 5, 15 or 20 bek transacts were sampled for each unit. Sample adequacy <br />was determined for informational purposes only. <br />• <br />KennecoK Energy / ColoYryo Coal Company AA -5 Revegetation Monitoring -2004 <br />