Laserfiche WebLink
4.15.11 REVEGETATION SAMPLING METHODS AND STATISTICAL <br />DEMONSTRATIONS FOR REVEGETATION SUCCESS REVEGETATION <br />COMMUNITY MAPPING / STRATIFICATION <br />Unless new, CDRMS approved, and superior monitoring and sampling metrics are <br />developed, the following metrics will be implemented at Colowyo to document <br />revegetation progress and success. <br />During monitoring of revegetated units, developing shrub patches will be identified and <br />as necessary delineated (circumnavigated with a sub-meter GPS unit to document <br />boundaries) to facilitate mapping that in turn will represent the juxtaposition <br />(stratification) of developing communities. As indicated previously, delineated shrub <br />patches will be classified as either "core" areas or "ecotonal" areas depending on <br />apparent density of developing shrub populations. Such stratification is necessary as <br />success criteria associated with areas of wildlife habitat will be applicable to shrub- <br />dominated communities as opposed to grassland success criteria applicable to remaining <br />revegetation efforts targeting livestock grazing land uses. <br />Sample Lam <br />The sample layout protocol for revegetation monitoring and bond release evaluations <br />shall be a systematic procedure designed to better account for the heterogeneous <br />expression of seedings within reclaimed areas while precluding bias in the sample site <br />selection process. By design, the procedure is initiated randomly, and thereafter, samples <br />are located in a systematic manner, along grid coordinates spaced at fixed distances, e.g. <br />200 ft. In this manner, "representation" from across the target reclamation unit is <br />"forced" rather than risking the chance that significant pockets are entirely missed, or <br />overemphasized as often occurs with simple random sampling. <br />Older reclaimed units (e.g., 7+ years) shall receive a minimum of 20 ground cover <br />transects and in monitoring areas - co-located shrub density belts. Production for <br />monitoring purposes shall be collected from a representative five of these 20 sample <br />points. For bond release efforts, production will be collected from a statistically adequate <br />sample as defined below. Monitoring efforts for younger reclaimed units (e.g., 2 to 4 <br />years) shall receive 15 transects and co-located woody density belts (as necessary) but no <br />production sampling. First year units will receive one cluster of five emergent density <br />quadrats spread in a representative manner for approximately every two acres of <br />reclamation. For units 50 acres or larger, a five-quadrat cluster should be collected from <br />every 4 acres of reclamation. With regard to any two-year old or older reclamation unit <br />that is smaller than about 3 acres, the number of samples (for monitoring) shall be limited <br />to five. <br />The systematic procedure for sample location in revegetated units shall occur in the <br />following stepwise manner. First, a fixed point of reference (e.g., fence corner) will be <br />selected for the target unit to facilitate location of the systematic grid in the field. <br />Second, a systematic grid of appropriate dimensions will be selected to provide a <br />reasonable number of coordinate intersections (e.g., 5, 15, 20, etc.) that would then be <br />4.15-28 Revision Date: 3/14/08 <br />Revision No.: TR-72