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absolute cover by species, rock, bare ground, litter cover data for the for the IP -3 - Phase <br />III Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Area. "Allowable plant cover" averaged 68.47 percent. <br />Application of the sample adequacy equation found in Rule 4.15.11(2)(a), sample <br />adequacy at the 90 percent confidence level, for "total plant cover" was achieved with 0.5 <br />transects and 15 transects were sampled. <br />Second years' production sampling of IP -3 Phase III Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Area are <br />found in Appendix 1 - Table 6, Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Area IP - 4 - Production, <br />found on page 19 of the 2011 report. The production of desirable perennial grasses and <br />perennial forbs averaged 106.49 grams per quarter square meter or 3,795.3 pounds of air - <br />dry forage per acre. Application of the sample adequacy equation found in Rule <br />4.15.11(2)(a), sample adequacy at the 90 percent confidence level, for "desirable forage <br />production," was determined to equal 39.1 transects and 30 transects were sampled. <br />Forage production from the Irrigated Pasture Reference Area are found in Appendix 1 - <br />Table 4, Irrigated Pasture Reference Area - 2012 Production found on page 16 of the <br />2012 report. The production of desirable perennial grasses and perennial forbs averaged <br />55.49 grams per quarter square meter or 1,977.7 pounds of air -dry forage per acre. <br />Application of the sample adequacy equation found in Rule 4.15.11(2)(a), sample <br />adequacy at the 90 percent confidence level, for "desirable forage production," was <br />determined to equal 172.5 transects and 30 transects were sampled. <br />3. Continued: The allowable relative cover contribution and production contribution of <br />annual and biennial species should not exceed 10 percent, or the relative cover or such <br />species in the associated reference area or standard whichever is higher. Annual or <br />biennial cover or production in excess of this threshold should be deleted from the <br />reclaimed area data prior to success comparison. An acceptable alternative approach is <br />to delete all annual and biennial cover and production from both reference area and <br />reclaimed area data prior to success comparison. <br />Response: As recommended in the DRMS Bond Release Guideline, the contribution of <br />all annuals and biennial plants was deleted from the plant cover and production tables and <br />the parameter of "allowable plant cover" was used for all cover calculations in this Bond <br />Release Application and the production was calculated based only on desirable perennial <br />plants. With respect to runoff or sediment modeling calculations, the value of 71.74 <br />percent plant cover will be used for the 2008 Phase II reclaimed area, runoff and sediment <br />calculations. <br />3. Continued: Under no condition will noxious weeds count toward the success standard. <br />The cover and production component provided by noxious weeds should be deleted from <br />both the reference area and reclaimed area data prior to prior to success comparison for <br />those parameters. Final bond release will be denied if the reclaimed area has not been <br />managed in compliance with the Division's "Guideline for the Management of Noxious <br />Weeds on Coal Mine Permit Areas." <br />SL -14 03DEC12.wpd 49 <br />