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The mean allowable all -hit herbaceous vegetation cover sampled in the 2007 reclaimed area was <br />36.8 percent, below 90 percent of the cover performance standard (46.6 percent, see Figure C -1, <br />Table C -1). Although the four year old reclaimed area did not meet or exceed the cover standard, <br />this was to be expected in reclamation of such a young age, and was primarily due to the <br />"excess" annual /biennial subtraction. It should be noted that when sampled as a two -year old <br />area in 2009 (another above - average moisture year), this area had 17.7% allowable herbaceous <br />cover, so the 36.8% of 2011 represents substantial progress toward meeting the cover standard. <br />From 2009 to 2011 all hit vegetation cover in the 2007 — seeded area increased slightly from <br />53.8% to 55.7 %. Within this total, internal proportions of lifeforms changed substantially however. <br />All hit cover by annual /biennial species declined from 40.8% to 23.5 %, and native perennial cool <br />season grasses rose from 7.4% to 17.1%. <br />Herbaceous Production <br />Calculation of 90 percent of the production performance standard appropriate for 2011 sampling <br />is demonstrated below. <br />(Seneca IIW Mine) Aspen Reference Area Allowable Herbaceous Production' = 1391.8 lbs/acre <br />(Seneca IIW Mine) Mountain Brush Reference Area Allowable Herbaceous Production' = 754.8 <br />lbs/acre <br />(Seneca IIW Mine) Sagebrush Reference Area Allowable Herbaceous Production' = 963.6 <br />lbs/acre <br />(Seneca IIW Mine) Steep Mountain Brush Reference Area Allowable Herbaceous Production' _ <br />492.9 lbs/acre <br />90 percent of the Production Standard = <br />0.90 [0.244 (1391.8) + 0.489 (754.8) + 0.24 (963.6) + 0.027(492.9)] = 857.9 lbs/acre <br />Herbaceous production adjusted by subtracting annual/biennial plant production in excess of <br />10% of the remainder. Production by noxious weed species is not collected. <br />As can be seen in Figure 2, the 2007 reclaimed area mean allowable herbaceous production of <br />1,603.3 pounds per acre far exceeded 90 percent of the production performance standard of <br />857.9 lbs/acre. <br />11 <br />