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• natural vegetation communities to emerge and evolve. In this manner, reclamation and resultant <br />developing communities will be encouraged to follow a more natural path to maturation and successional <br />Progression as opposed to the more historically and ubiquitously targeted grasslands. <br />However, since the mine occurs in an area that once exhibited extensive grasslands but is now <br />depauperate of such steppe types, replacing a majority of this type with shrublands interspersed <br />throughout would maximize the overall net effect on habitat value of the overall area. Furthermore, <br />shrublands do not exhibit uniform densities of woody plants, therefore, a possible target of heavier <br />densities (e. g., S00 plants /acre) should apply only to "core" areas that occupy 10%-25% of the <br />community acreage, wRh the remaining acreage existing at lighter densities (e.g., 200 plants /acre). <br />Development of such a program would require some detailed field mapping of manifested communities. <br />Second, experimental practices need to be continued to determine methods to encourege heavier <br />densities of woody plants in the reclamation. The current field trials should be carefully monitored and <br />evaluated with regard to substrate, revegetation specifications, and progress on an annual basis to <br />determine those factors rmst conducive to increased woody plant densities. These areas should also be <br />subject to ground rover sampling to ensure compliance with ground cover and diversity suaess criteria, <br />• or to document where such standards may need to be relaxed (in consultation with CDMG). <br />Third, it has become readily apparent in recent years that the 10-year responsibility period is too <br />brief a period of time for certain variables such as woody plant density to fully manifest themselves <br />(native perennial fort cover is another variable that is difficult to obtain in such a short period of time). <br />Regulations take this phenomenon into account when dealing with trees (they simply do not mature <br />within the 10 years allotted). However, it has been discovered that woody plant populations often exhibit <br />great difficulty establishing themselves at late seral or disclimactic levels within a single decade, <br />especialty when reclaimed lands are managed property (i,e. mismanaged rangelands encourage shrub <br />population growth and expansion). Therefore, a method for "estimating" long-term population levels <br />based on mortality and natality rates could bring the evaluation into balance at the 10-year mark. Such <br />an approach has been met favorably in Montana, although approval has yet to occur. <br />Finally, the tact could be taken with CDMG to be more "forgiving" of eady program reclamation that <br />is heavily weighted toward grasslands, especialty given the advancements made over the last few years <br />in reclamation techniques that enwurage shrub populations. If Cobwyo alters its redamation technology <br />to encourage shrubland development, where appropriate, from this point forward, at least for a subset of <br />• reclamation units, some relief should be forthcoming for reclamation that has already occurred. <br />Kennawn ~9Y i Colowyo coal comroor AA -9 RevegeTation Moniroring -2004 <br />