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i~ <br />Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Seneca II-W Mine <br />was undertaken in July 2002 by ESCO Associates to facilitate SCC's continued monitoring of the <br />progress of these areas in relation to revegetation performance standards. Methods, sample <br />areas, and sample sizes were those specified by SCC. <br />METHODS <br />Reclamation Units and Sampling Locations <br />The reclamation units sampled at the Seneca II-W Mine in 2002 are shown on Map 1, "2002 <br />Reclaimed Area Monitoring Locations". 1995 reclamation was sampled in 2002. <br />Extended Reference Area Sampling <br />The Aspen, Mountain Brush, and Sagebrush extended reference areas were sampled to provide <br />data for comparison with reclaimed area data. Reference Area sampling locations are shown on <br />Map 2, "2002 Extended Reference Area Monitoring Locations'. <br />Cover Sampling <br />Cover data were collected along 50 m transects using a point intercept method in which data <br />were recorded as interceptions of a point with plant species, litter, standing dead plant material, <br />soil or rock. Plant material produced during 2002 and still standing was tallied by species. Litter <br />was considered to be any organic material that had fallen, or had begun to fall to the soil surface. <br />Standing dead was any dead plant material that was produced in previous years but which was <br />still standing and had not lodged or broken off to become litter. Inorganic materials greater than 1 <br />cm in diameter were considered rock. The cover sampling points were optically projected using a <br />Cover-Point Optical Point Projection Device developed by ESCO Associates. The 50 m transects <br />were randomly located and oriented in the reclaimed and reference areas. One hundred points <br />were collected at each transect and distributed evenly along the transect. A pair of points were <br />collected at each meter mark with points sampled on opposite sides of the transect 0.5 m from <br />the transect. <br />First hit interceptions were used to calculate absolute top layer foliar cover (see COVER column <br />in data tables) by dividing the number of interceptions for a particular species, or ground cover <br />type by the total number of points taken (100). First hit relative vegetation cover was calculated <br />by dividing first hit absolute cover for each species by the total first hit vegetation cover. All-layer <br />