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Table 1-Herbaceous cover: Reclaimed area versus technical standard <br /> 2002 2003 <br />Required minimum (90% of <br />technical standard) 27% 27% <br />Sample mean 36% 30% <br />Table 2 -Biomass production (in lbs./acre): <br />Reclaimed area versus technical standard <br /> 2002 2003 <br />Required minimum <br />(90% of technical 450 450 <br />standard <br />Sample result 2136 1182 <br />Sample data indicate the reclaimed areas met the 2-species minimum technical standard for species <br />diversity of cool season grasses, with 6 species in both 2002 and 2003 (minimum 3% relative cover) <br />(Table 3). There were too few species that comprised minimum 3% relative cover for meeting the <br />diversity requirement of two species, each, of warm season grasses, forbs, and shrubs. The samples <br />contained no warm season grass species. One species of shrubs, met the minimum 3% relative cover <br />requirement in one year (2003). There were, however, 6 desirable species of forbs and 4 species of <br />shrubs in the 2003 samples. <br />Woody shrub density exceeded the minimum requirement of 540 stems per acre in 2002 (2,732 <br />stems per acre), but fell short of the minimum in 2003 (243 stems per acre) (Table 4). The stem <br />density was much greater in 2002 than in 2003 due to different methods of counting stems. In 2002, <br />stems were counted along transects; in 2003, all stems on the site were counted. Although the 2003 <br />count was less than the required minimum of 243 stems per acre, shrub establishment on the site is <br />considered to be successful as indicated by the colonization of the former portal area with shrubs. <br />Shrub clusters have developed in the portal area where individual plants are concentrated in several <br />small depressions that were created during regrading (Figure 2). The depressions were created for <br />moisture retention on the slope. Shrubs are an important contributor to species composition on the <br />site. The site is being invaded by mature stands of Gambel's oak that are on undisturbed land <br />surrounding undisturbed lands. <br />7 <br />