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reference area concept for eventual revegetation success evaluations is adopted, these two pastures will <br />facilitate a larger sample base from which to make comparisons in the Tuture. <br />3.2 Irrigated Ha~elds <br />The irrigated hayfields community type is limited to one field in the east-central portion of the <br />vegetation study area and comprises 15.5 acres (13%) of the area (See Map V-1 ). Very little native <br />vegetation exists in this community as introduced forage grasses and forts were seeded in the past and <br />continue to dominate the present vegetation cover. This area of cropland is typically harvested twice <br />annually, and was harvested approximately two weeks prior to the arrival of the field sampling crew in <br />2000. However, a few pockets along the outer boundaries of the field were left sufficiently intact to allow <br />directed placement of ten samples. These ten samples were used to corroborate historical yield data as <br />well as provide a determination of the composition of the field's plant cover. <br />3.2.1 Ground Cover <br />Review of Tables V1 and V4 and Chart V7 indicates that the average vegetation cover of the <br />• irrigated hayfield community was determined to be 91.6%. Litter and rock occupied an average of 8.3% <br />and 0.1°I° of the ground cover, respectively. Bare ground exposure was zero. The three dominant plant <br />species were orchardgrass, alfalfa, and bindweed with 38.0%, 31.0%, and 8.1% of the ground cover, <br />respectively. Perennial plants contributed 89% of the composition while native vegetation and noxious <br />weeds contributed 1.4% and 9.3% of the total plant cover, respectively. Perusal of Tables V1 and V7 <br />indicate a total of five spades contributed greater than 3% relative cover. Three of those spades were <br />introduced perennial grasses, one was an introduced perennial fort, and the remaining plant was the <br />noxious weed species, bindweed. <br />3.2.2 Production <br />Review of Tables Vt and V9 indicated the average production of the irrigated hayfield community in <br />2000 was 3,353 oven-dry pounds per acre. Thirty percent (993 pounds per acre) of the total production is <br />attributable to perennial grasses, while 65% (2,200 pounds per aae) is due to perennial Torts, primarily <br />alfalfa, and 5% (160 pounds per acre) is attributable to annuals and weeds. H the average from the <br />sampling effort (3,353 Its per age) is converted from oven-dry to air-dry weight (addition of about 10 <br />percent), the result would be approximately 3,700 pounds per acre. In 2000, company records (see Table <br />• V11) indicate that the two cutting harvest yielded 3,839 pounds per acre of production. Because a certain <br />~u®vm ~>a~s Aaa®canutra, rnc. Page 16 E><hibit 5 -Bowie Baseline Vegetation Survey <br />