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INTRODUCTION <br />Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Seneca IIW Mine <br />was undertaken in July 2007 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 for purposes of interim monitoring at the Seneca IIW Mine in 2007 <br />are shown on Map 1, "2007 Reclaimed Area Monitoring Locations". For purposes of interim <br />monitoring, 2003 and 2005 reclamation areas were sampled in 2007. <br />Extended Reference Area Sampling <br />The Aspen, Mountain Brush, and Sagebrush/Snowberry Extended Reference Areas were <br />sampled to provide data for comparison with reclaimed area data. Reference Area sampling <br />locations are shown on Map 3, "2007 Extended Reference Area Monitoring Locations". <br />Cover Sampling <br />Cover data were collected along 50 m transects using apoint-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 2007 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 />absolute cover (COVER-ALL column in data tables) was calculated by dividing all hits (first-hits <br />. and additional-hits) for a particular species by the total number of points taken (100). In addition, <br />1 <br />