2013-04-15_PERMIT FILE - C1994082 (6)

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Secondary Standard No. 3 --- Woody plant establishment area, with aspen, fenced ---- 945 • woody stems/acre (of which 150 stems/acre will be aspen). (See Exhibit 22 -IA for the locations and designations of woody plant concentration sites.) Woody plant density success will be evaluated on the basis of the performance standards above. As per CDRMS suggestion, it is requested that the overall woody plant density standard for the Yoast Mine will be 200 stems per acre. There are seven (7) fenced shrub plots (concentrated woody plant establishment sites) shown on Exhibit 22-1, Postmine Vegetation Map (sheet 2 of 2). These fenced plots contain a variety of woody plant species, including aspen. In the two (2) plots specifically identified as concentrated aspen and shrub sites the density standard will be 945 stems per acre of woody stems of which 150 will be aspen. In the four (4) fenced plots identified as upland woody plant sites the density standard will be 945 woody plants per acre. The standard for the one (1) riparian site will be 945 woody riparian species per acre of which at least 150 stems/acre will be tree species. The standard for the remaining upland woody plant sites (A, B, G and M) which are un-fenced will be 945 woody • stems/acre. Outside the bounds of the fenced plantings, woody plant development will be assessed in extent upon the occasion of Phase III bond release testing. The commitment is that areas with an average of at least 1000 stems per acre will comprise at least 10 percent of the area outside fenced plantings at the Yoast Mine. Aspen is a specific species of concern, therefore within the shrub/ tree establishment plots; SCC has chosen two (2) locations for aspen planting. Within these specific aspen plots 150 aspens per acre will be the success standard for aspen specifically. These success standards may not reflect the ultimate goal of the reclaimed ecosystem yet the plants will be in place for successional processes to eventually return the land to a sustainable and balanced plant community. Based on the 2009 Musselman Report, The Use of Landscape Fabric and Supplemental Irrigation to Enhance Survival and Growth of moody Perennials Planted on Reclaimed Surface Mine Lands, SCC presents the following justification for establishing a density standard for aspen and woody plants within the designated planting areas. The study recommended a planting density of 5'x5' or 25 sq ft which would result in a per acre • planting density of 1740 stems per acre. This is a realistic planting rate when mortality is considered. All woody stems, which include aspens, will be planted at the 1740/acre rate TR-48 48 08/11