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The revegetation success criteria for the topsoiled rangeland portion of the West Ridge Area <br />are cover, productivity, and diversity based on reference area comparison. <br />The topsoiled rangeland revegetation success standards for the Edna Mine in the areas <br />subject to this application (SL -11) are based on the snowberry /sage vegetation community <br />reference area and the oak mountain shrub vegetation community reference area approved <br />under Section 4.15.7(3). The snowberry /sage vegetation community represents 83% of the <br />pre- mining disturbance and the oak mountain shrub vegetation community represents 17% of <br />the pre- mining disturbance. <br />The only revegetation success standard for the non - topsoiled portions of the Moffat Area and <br />West Ridge Area is cover. <br />Section 4.15.7(5) requires that revegetation success standards be met for at least two of the <br />last four years of the liability period. Section 4.15.7(5) also requires that sampling for Phase <br />III revegetation success not be initiated prior to the ninth year of the 10 -year liability period. <br />Cover <br />As referenced above in the Phase II Criteria for Bond Release section of this document, <br />results of vegetation sampling conducted in 2005 and 2006 indicated that the Topsoiled <br />Rangeland Standard for the Moffat Area and the West Ridge Area bond release blocks is a <br />mean herbaceous vegetation cover of 24.1 %. The non - topsoiled Moffat and non - topsoiled <br />West Ridge areas are required to meet the Substitute Soils Rangeland cover standard (Section <br />4.15.10). Based on the pre - redisturbance cover value, the Rangeland Substitute Soil <br />Standard for cover is 47% total ground cover. As required by Rule 4.15.8(3)(a), the <br />reclaimed area is deemed successful if the revegetated area cover is not less than 90% of the <br />approved standard. Ninety percent of the approved standard of 47% equals 42.3% cover. <br />Productivity <br />The 2005 revegetation productivity success standard of the reference areas was 80.20 g /m2. <br />In 2006, the productivity success standard of the reference areas was 41.6 g /m2. <br />Diversity <br />Species diversity success was determined from pre- mining vegetative cover data. The <br />species diversity success standard on topsoiled rangeland areas of the Edna Mine consists of <br />1) The presence of at least five perennial species, with relative importance of each <br />species equal to or greater than 3 %, but less than 40 %. <br />2) The combined relative importance of the five herbaceous species will not exceed <br />75 %. <br />Edna Mine Page 13 April 12, 2013 <br />Phase II. and III Bond Release <br />