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INTRODUCTION <br />Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Yoast Mine was <br />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 Yoast Mine in 2007 are <br />shown on Map 1, "2007 Interim Monitoring Locations". Both areas seeded in 2003 and 2005 <br />reclamation areas were sampled in 2007 as part of interim monitoring. <br />Extended Reference Area Sampling <br />The tentative Haul Road Reference Area, as well as the Mountain Brush and <br />Sagebrush/Snowberry components of the 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, "2007 Extended Reference Area Monitoring Sample Locations" (sheets 2a and 2b). <br />Cover Sampling <br />Cover data were collected along 50 m transects in both reclaimed and reference areas using a <br />point-intercept method in which data were recorded as interceptions of a point with plant species, <br />litter, standing dead plant material, soil, or rock. Plant material produced during 2007 and still <br />standing was tallied by species. Litter was considered to be any organic material that had fallen, <br />or had begun to fall to the soil surface. Standing dead was any dead plant material that was <br />produced in previous years but which was still standing and had not lodged or broken off to <br />become litter. Inorganic materials greater than 1 cm in diameter were considered rock. The <br />cover sampling points were optically projected using aCover-Point Optical Point Projection <br />Device developed by ESCO Associates. The 50 m transects were randomly located and oriented <br />in the reclaimed and reference areas. One hundred points were collected at each transect and <br />distributed evenly along the transect. A pair of points were collected at each meter mark with <br />points sampled on opposite sides of the transect 0.5 m from 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 />1 <br />