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RULE 2 - PERMITS <br />A statistically adequate number of cover sample locations for subject PSCM reclaimed areas will <br />• be randomly located during revegetation success evaluations. Similarly, statistically adequate <br />random sampling for cover and production will be conducted at the established sagebrush reference <br />area.. The sampling intensity will use the following sample protocols: <br />• Fifteen (15) minimum cover sample locations in the established sagebrush vegetation reference <br />area; and <br />• Fifteen (15) minimum cover samples randomly selected within the subject PSCM reclaimed <br />area. <br />If it is determined that additional cover sampling is needed to achieve sample adequacy, additional <br />samples of successively higher number will be randomly located and sampled within the PSCM <br />reclaimed area. The additional need for sampling will be assessed from cover data from the initial <br />15 samples and as necessary following this initial evaluation until sample adequacy is achieved. If <br />statistical testing in accordance with Sections 4.15.11(2)(c) or 4.15.11(3)(a -c) is to be used, the <br />appropriate sampling intensities specified in those sections shall be used. <br />Cover Sampling — Cover sampling will be by the preferred point- intercept method, but may not be <br />limited to that method as per Section 4.15.11(1)(a)(ii) and (iii) and as approved in consultation with <br />CDRMS. <br />Percent cover values that will be assessed include; percent cover by plant species, percent total <br />vegetation cover, percent litter, percent standing dead, percent rock, percent bare ground, and <br />• percent total cover (vegetation plus litter plus standing dead, plus rock). Point intercept will allow <br />for layered hits if additional species occur below first hit interceptions. This allows for measuring <br />stratified vegetation cover, a more accurate measure of species composition, and separation of all - <br />hit herbaceous cover. <br />Along each sample transect, the presence of less common species not hit during the point- intercept <br />sampling will be documented by recording the presence of all additional plant species occurring <br />within one m on either side of the sample transect. Thus, from each 50 m (m) cover sample transect <br />comes a measure of species "density" that can be expressed as a number of species per 100 square <br />meters useful for assessing species richness. <br />"First Hit" percent cover at every sample location will be calculated for each plant species as well <br />as rock, bare soil, and litter by dividing the total number of intercepts for each by the total number <br />of points (100). Relative plant cover will be calculated by dividing the First Hit cover of each plant <br />species by the total First Hit vegetation cover. "All Hit" percent cover will be calculated for each <br />plant species by dividing the total number of hits on a species (First Hits plus Other Hits occurring <br />in a stratified canopy) by the total number of points projected. Relative All Hit cover will be <br />calculated by dividing the All Hit cover for each species by the total All Hit vegetation cover. <br />Cover data reporting will be organized by the following life form categories: <br />- Native Annual / Biennial Forbs <br />- Native Annual Grasses <br />• - Native Perennial Forbs <br />- Native Perennial Graminoids <br />- Introduced Annual / Biennial Forbs <br />- Introduced Annual Grasses <br />- Introduced Perennial Forbs <br />- Native Subshrubs <br />PSCM Permit App. 2.05 -48 Revision 12/17/09 <br />