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landscape. The herbaceous vegetation, necessary for quick and long-tens stabilization, is highly <br />competitive and will dominate for a considerable period of time. Even in unseeded areas, herbaceous • <br />vegetation (perennial) establishes in a relatively short time, and will maintain a presence as an eady to mid- <br />successional community for some time (see the 1990 Revegetation Monitoring Report for the Seneca II <br />Mine). <br />Livestock grazing has historically been the most intensive land use of the permit area. Wildlife management <br />has generally been restricted to managing populations through harvest (hunting), and wildlife habitat <br />development or improvement has not been intensively pursued. Since the surface ownership of the permit <br />area is, for the most part, State of Colorado (see Tab 3, Adjudication File), the postmine surface control will <br />be similar. Thus, because of economics, leasing pattems, and agriculture as a major industry in the area, <br />the primary postmine land use will revert to livestock grazing. However, wildlife and associated uses will not <br />be exduded. Revegetation will concentrate on stabilization and forage resources while badfilling and <br />grading practices will provide topographic diversity and stodkwater developments. The latter will be <br />signficanUy enhanced compared to the premine situation. These practices will cencurtently satisfy the <br />needs of livestock and wildlife. Livestock grazing on recaimed lands will encourage reestablishment of <br />native plants, spades diversity, and woody plant density (see the Annual Revegetation Monitoring Reports <br />for the Serrece II Mine). <br />A common range improvemenUrehabilitation practice is the reduction in, or elimination of, woody plant <br />vegetation in areas used by livestock. This allows plant growth resources to be directed towards the <br />herbaceous component, thus increasing the useable herbaceous forage production for livestock, as well as <br />wildlife. It also improves accessibility and utilization by removing dense and many times impenetrable <br />thickets of brush. Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) personnel agree these dense shrub communities <br />could be thinned or "opened up" by various means including mining, thus providing benefits to wildl'ite at the <br />same time (Whitaker, 1982). <br />Sufidal impacts (e.g., range improvements or range fires) in native sagebrush or donal mountain brush <br />stands may be relatively short-lived. Fdschnecht (1983) found sagebrush readily reinvaded brush stands <br />which had been removed. In a summary of findings by others, Kimball, et al. (1985) stated Gambel oak <br />stands impacted by fire had the same structure prwr to the fire in 18 to 20 years. The more drastic <br />disturbances assocated with mining will require longer periods for woody plant reestablishment. <br />Successional time frames (starting from primary levels) and patterns, applied reclamation practices, level of <br />disturbance, and the inherent developmerrtal requirements of native woody vegetation all determine the level <br />of reestablished woody plant density and composition during the liability period. At any rate, the composition <br />differences and densities lower than premine conditions are inevitable (see Annual Revegetation Monitorng <br />Reports for the Seneca II Mine). This subject is discussed further under woody plant density success <br />standards later in this tab. <br />For adequate livestock pertormance (lactation, gestation, and daily gains) on rangeland, a balanced forage <br />diet is necessary. The herbaceous component will provide the majority of forage and adequate nutrient • <br />quality (digestible protein, energy, phosphorous and cerotene) during the grazing season (Cook, et al., <br />TR-37 13-4 Revised 04/05 <br />