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Plant Establishment Monitoring Program Monitoring during the 5-year plant establishment period will be based on a combination of annual individual plant survival count at specific planting locations (for years 1 and 2) and percent canopy cover (after the first 2 years). Monitoring will be conducted by a qualified restoration specialist and will occur each fall (from approximately September 1-November 1) and before the plants incur leaf loss. Observations will be made to identify significant factors affecting plant survival. Panoramic photographs will be taken to document the overall success of the project. The City will be responsible for providing the Corps with annual monitoring reports documenting results of the monitoring observations, plant survivorship, and relative success of the mitigation. Annual Vegetation Monitoring Annual vegetation monitoring will be quantitative including individual plant counts and a visual assessment of canopy cover by riparian ve etation. Although survivorship is easier to measure than canopy cover, valuable information on poorly performing sites can be gained by evaluating the cover and its development over time. As an example, poor vigor can result in stunted plants that. although alive, provide little cover. By monitoring cover, gaps resulting from mortality and reduced vigor can be both identified and remediated, if necessary, to provide a homogeneous distribution of cover by year 10. Moreover, cover estimates can document establishment of voluntary vegetation. Annual vegetation monitoring will be recorded using a data sheet similar to Table 3-2; these data sheets will be included as an appendix to each annual report. Survival. All planted trees and shrubs will be inspected and recorded as live or dead. Survival in all three planting zones will be monitored during the first 2 years after planting; thereafter, survival will be monitored only in the oak-woodland zone. in the creekside and willow-cottonwood zones, the third to fifth year of monitoring will focus on canopy cover, and survival will not be monitored after the second year unless the 2-year performance standard is not met. if the 2-year performance standard is not met, survival monitoring will continue until reasonable progress toward meeting the 5-year performance standard is demonstrated. Percent Canopy Cover. At the beginning of the monitoring period, percent canopy cover will be determined by measuring the canopy cover of each individual, calculating the total canopy cover, and dividing the amount of total cover by the measurement of total planting area. As canopies converge and natural establishment of riparian species occurs, measuring individual canopies may become impractical. When this occurs, an alternative method of estimating cover should be used such as line-transect sampling through the planting areas or visual cover class estimates in sample relieves established in the planting areas. Marking Planting Locations. After each planting location has been monitored, a portion of the watering basin at the planting location should be marred with spray chalk or paint to prevent duplications during monitoring. Wetland Miligarion and Monitoring Plan far lite Chapter 3. Welland Mitigation and Moritonrng Plan Austin Road landfill Eipansion. U.S.Armr Corps of Engineers File 199400974 Cin ofStockton 3-7 April S. 1996