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• <br />• <br />As discussed in the revegetation section found in the NHN Mine Permit Application, the <br />proposed plant cover revegetation success standard is based on an allowable cover standard, <br />which means that all plant cover excluding annual and biennial plant and listed noxious weeds <br />are sampled but are not counted toward the cover standard. For each vegetation type sampled for <br />plant cover, a minimum of 15 cover transects were used for sample adequacy calculations. <br />Production. Along the transect alignment described for plant cover, three randomly located <br />circular one - quarter square meter plots were clipped along each vegetation transect line. These <br />plots were clipped by life forms for perennial grasses and perennial forbs. As found in the <br />requirements of Section 4.15.11, shrub, subshrubs, annuals and noxious weeds were not clipped, <br />since they cannot count toward the proposed revegetation production success standard. The <br />production samples were taken along the same transect used for cover and shrub density <br />sampling. The three clip plots were then averaged into a single transect datum for purposes of <br />statistical analysis. For each area sampled, a minimum of 30 production transects were used for <br />sample adequacy calculations. Following clipping, the harvested plant materials were dried in a <br />drying oven at 105 degrees C for a period of 24 hours. <br />Shrub Density. Starting at each of the 15 transect locations described above for the cover <br />sampling, the fifty -meter tape was laid out along a predetermined and randomly selected <br />alignment. Woody stem density was determined using the center of the tape as a modified belt <br />transect. The right -hand side of the transect was called Side A and the left -hand side of the tape <br />was called Side B. Data collected from each side of the tape were added into a transect value <br />which represents the number of shrubs sampled in the 100 m sample plot. These data are <br />reported in the Results Section as to the number of shrubs per 100 m as well as the number of <br />shrubs per acre as outlined in the Permit. As described for plant cover in the Wetland Vegetation <br />type, a modified 5 X 4 meter belt transect was used to sample shrub density, with the shrub <br />density transects being 5 meters long, with 2 meters being sampled on either side of the transect <br />tape. <br />Woody plants having a single stem, such as Big Sagebrush, were considered to constitute one <br />living plant. Plants having multiple stems, such as Sandbar Willow and other species were <br />difficult to distinguish as to the boundaries of individual plants, so in these instances, plant <br />density counts were made on the basis of stem counts. <br />Species Diversity. The plant cover data collected at each cover sample transect yielded data <br />relative to absolute cover. These cover data were then converted into percent composition or <br />relative plant cover by species based upon the total amount of plant cover encountered in each <br />sample transect. The relative importance values of plants growing on the reclaimed areas as <br />outlined in the Permit Application, contains standards as to the number of perennial grass species <br />growing on the reclaimed areas to ensure that a monoculture of a single plant or a few plants <br />does not dominate the reclaimed areas. <br />• Section 2.04.10 Page 4 April 2011 <br />