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JUL-27-199^0 13:24 ROBERT DELANE'Y 970 945 2303 P. 13 <br /> 97-CV-131-3 07/21/98 <br /> . Page 4 <br /> Vegetation growth on the cut slope above the bench is not as thick as the bench, but <br /> growth is fair. <br /> There is fair to good plant growth on the Mine # 4 bench. Tree seedlings on the bench <br /> show marginal growth. Tree growth appears dependent on the nuances of micro- <br /> environment. On the bench, vegetation cover is 25 to 35 percent, and is comprised of <br /> orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, Lewis flax, and others. Approximately 115 of the <br /> mine bench on the east side has been mulched too heavily, with no vegetation growth <br /> occurring. Seeding and mulching occurred on the bench outslope. While there is a <br /> significant amount of mulch, plant growth is restricted to groundsel. About a dozen <br /> tree seedlings (tree shades) were visible at the bottom of the bench outslope. A large <br /> debris flow has washed over the toe of the slope on the northeast side, apparently <br /> covering a number of the trees. <br /> Revegetation success at Mine #4 has been largely restricted to the flat areas of the mine <br /> bench. Seeding and mulching at the outslope has not yielded any significant plant <br /> growth. As has been noted in other locations, the likelihood of successfully <br /> revegetating the steep bench outslopes and road slopes, is very low. <br /> As a final point, there are locations along the mine access roads which could benefit <br /> from revegetation. As can be seen in Figure 12, a moderate cut slope along the Mine <br /> #3 access road, revegetation could be easily achieved on this slope. The slope is <br /> moderate, and the plant growth medium is sandy and fine-grained. Native slopes <br /> which are naturally vegetated are found above and below the cut slope. The probability <br /> of successfully revegetating slopes such as this is very high, and should be given <br /> priority in the reclamation at Coal Basin. <br /> e <br />