Ill. Admin. Code tit. 62, § 1817.117 - Revegetation: Tree, Shrub, and Herbaceous Vegetation
a) For areas to be developed for fish and
wildlife habitat (including shelter belts), recreation, or forest products land
uses, success of vegetation shall be determined on the basis of tree and shrub
population and vegetative ground cover. Such parameters are described as
follows:
1) Trees and shrubs that will be used
in determining the success of vegetation and the adequacy of plant arrangement
shall have utility for the approved post-mining land use. Tree and/or shrub
population shall be considered successful if it meets the population required
in subsection (b) with 90% statistical confidence (i.e., one-sided t test with
a 0.10 alpha error) during the
fifth year of the responsibility period or later in the responsibility period.
On lands eligible for remining, the period of responsibility shall be 2 full
years. Trees and shrubs counted in determining such success shall be healthy,
e.g., not demonstrating abnormal growth, coloring, leaf drop or disease. At the
time of bond release such trees and shrubs shall be alive, and shall have been
in place for at least 3 growing seasons, i.e., 3 years. On lands eligible for
remining, trees and shrubs need not have been in place for 3 years; however,
such trees and shrubs shall not be counted in determining success during the
same calendar year in which they were planted.
2) Vegetative ground cover shall not be less
than required to achieve the approved post-mining land use and shall be
adequate to control erosion and shall not be less than 70% during the last year
of the responsibility period.
3)
Permanent roads, parking lots and similar impervious structures on the
revegetated area shall not require the planting of trees and shrubs or
herbaceous ground cover. Erosion control structures, including pond
embankments, shall not require the planting of trees and shrubs.
4) For purposes of this Section, herbaceous
species means grasses, legumes and nonleguminous forbs; woody plants means
woody shrubs, trees and vines; and ground cover means the area of ground
covered by the combined aboveground parts of vegetation and the litter that is
produced naturally on site.
5) For
purposes of this Section, normal husbandry and conservation practices shall
include pruning, disease, pest, vermin and herbaceous vegetation control
including mowing, replanting and rill and gully repairs. The replanting of
trees and shrubs in areas described in Section
1817.116(a)(2)(C)
shall be limited to 20% of the original approved planting rate during the first
year of the responsibility period and 10% of the original approved planting
rate during the second year of the responsibility period. The repair of rills
and gullies shall be limited to those approved as a normal conservation
practice under Section
1817.116(a)(2)(C), (D) and
(E).
b) For areas where woody plants are used for
fish and wildlife habitat (including shelter belts), or recreation land uses,
the area shall have a minimum population of 250 trees or shrubs per acre.
Planting arrangements such as hedgerows, border plantings, clump plantings,
shelterbelts, and open herbaceous areas which increase diversity within
wildlife areas may be approved by the Department on a case-by-case basis prior
to planting such areas. Where woody plants are used for forest products land
uses, the area shall have a minimum population of 450 trees or shrubs per
acre.
c) For areas planted to trees
or shrubs including wildlife habitat (including shelter belts), recreation, and
forest products land uses, the sampling procedure for measuring populations is
described as follows:
1) The permittee shall
submit a scale drawing or aerial photograph delineating the fields to be
sampled and the total number of acres in each field. A one inch equals 500
(1:500) feet or larger scale shall be used. Once field boundaries are
established in a submittal, the boundaries shall not be changed unless the
Department approves a request in accordance with 62 Ill. Adm. Code
1774.13.
2) One of the following circular plot sizes
shall be selected by the sample enumerator:
Plot Size/Acres |
Radius/Feet |
1/160 |
|
1/120 |
|
1/100 |
|
1/90 |
|
1/80 |
|
1/70 |
|
1/60 |
|
1/50 |
|
1/40 |
|
1/30 |
|
1/20 |
|
1/10 |
|
1/5 |
|
1/4 |
3) The
number of plots needed to sample the area will be calculated employing the
following formula:
Number of Plots equals 2.5 % multiplied by Sample Area in acres divided by plot size.
4) Based on the number of plots needed to be
sampled and plot size, locate transect lines an equal distance apart throughout
the area to be sampled. Position individual plots an equal distance apart along
transect lines. Determine the total length of all transect lines combined and
then divide by the total number of plots needed to be sampled. When an
individual plot is positioned within 60 feet of the boundary of the area to be
sampled, the location of the plot shall be moved perpendicular to the transect
line until the plot is 60 feet from the boundary of the area to be sampled or
the greatest distance possible where 60 feet cannot be achieved.
5) Sample each plot for compliance with
subsections (a)(1) and (b) and record live trees and/or shrubs and
species.
6) Calculate population
levels as follows:
A) Average number of live
trees and/or shrubs per plot equals Total Number of live trees and/or shrubs
divided by number of plots; and
B)
Number of live trees and/or shrubs per acre equals Average number of live trees
and/or shrubs per plot multiplied by plot size denominator.
7) Representatives of the
Department shall administer all sampling.
d) Vegetative ground cover shall be measured
by the following technique:
1) Twenty random
points shall be identified in the area to be tested.
2) A 20 feet engineer's tape shall be
extended directly south of each point. If the tape extends beyond the boundary
of the area to be tested or extends into an area where herbaceous ground cover
has been controlled with herbicides to minimize competition with woody plants,
the tape shall be rotated in 90 degree increments until the entire 20 feet
length is within the boundary of the area to be tested or area not treated with
the herbicide.
3) A measurement
shall be taken at each .2 foot increment directly above or below the
tape.
4) Ground cover shall be
determined to be present if any vegetation identified in subsection (a)(4) is
measured at the increment.
5) A
percentage of ground cover shall be established for the area tested by taking
the total number of measurements where ground cover was determined to be
present.
e) For areas
where herbaceous vegetation plants are used for fish and wildlife habitat
(including shelter belts), or recreation land uses, vegetative ground cover of
approved species shall not be less than required to achieve the approved
post-mining land use and shall be adequate to control erosion and shall not be
less than 70% during the last year of the responsibility period. Planting
arrangements such as hedgerows, border plantings, clump plantings,
shelterbelts, and open herbaceous areas that increase diversity within wildlife
areas may be approved by the Department on a case-by-case basis prior to
planting those areas.
Notes
Amended at 26 Ill. Reg. 4252, effective March 6, 2002
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