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PRODUCTION <br />(Table B -8) <br />Total herbaceous production in 2012 was 456.8 pounds per acre. Native perennial cool season grasses <br />and native perennial forbs were the biggest producers, contributing 269.4 and 123.1 pounds per acre, <br />respectively. Three other life forms were present with less than 61 pounds per acre. <br />DISCUSSION <br />Climatic Conditions <br />The year preceding 2011 sampling was characterized by a very wet fall and winter (precipitation in <br />December of 2010 totaled a record 2.98 inches), continuing in early spring with a very wet April and May <br />(Figure C -7b). June 2011 precipitation was below average with a return to above average precipitation in <br />July 2011. The abundant cold- season precipitation created above average snowpack levels for the <br />region. These wet months combined with a wet summer left precipitation total for the 12 months <br />preceding sampling well above average (Figure C -8b). In general, 2011 was the wettest and coolest <br />observed in the last 26 years. In contrast, the winter and spring preceding 2012 sampling was very dry, <br />with precipitation at well below average (Figure C -7b). March, April, May and June of 2012 also had <br />below average precipitation. As a result, precipitation for the 12 months preceding sampling was the <br />second lowest in the last 26 years, with 2002 being the lowest (Figure C -8b). The first six months of 2012 <br />were also the warmest in the last 26 years (Figure C -11). <br />Sample Adequacy Calculations <br />Sample adequacy of total first -hit vegetation cover was achieved in each of the reference areas as well as <br />BRB -5 in 2011 and 2012 (see below and Table C -4). In both 2011 and 2012 sample adequacy based on <br />allowable herbaceous cover was also achieved in BRB -5 as well as the Sagebrush Reference Area. <br />However, in both years sample adequacy based on allowable herbaceous cover was not reached in the <br />Mountain Brush Reference Area. Thus the alternative of using the upper 90% probability value of the <br />mean was exercised. In other words, after having established a reliable estimate of population variance <br />having taken 21 samples in 2011 and 18 samples in 2012, the maximum possible values of the mean <br />(with 90% confidence) was taken to represent the allowable herbaceous cover of the Mountain Brush <br />Area. Details of the calculation of allowable herbaceous cover are provided in Tables G -1, G -2, G -3, G- <br />4, G -5 and G -6 for each area /year: <br />18 <br />