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reclaimed post-disturbance, should be based on density of live fruit trees. In this regard, it is proposed • <br />that the overage of 1331ruit trees per acre be used as the standard Tor disturbances to these orchards. <br />3.d Derelict Areas <br />The derelict community type occupios 45.64 acres (38%) of the vegetation study area (See Map V- <br />1). It is comprised of abandoned and / or unkempt lands, various rights-of-way, fallow areas, small <br />remnants of disclimactic native vegetation, hedgerows, and old naturally revegetated disturbances such <br />as regraded road berms or fill slopes. Very little undisturbed natural vegetation remains within this <br />community. It is primarily comprised of a variety of trees in the overstory and escaped pasture grasses, <br />weeds, and other imported exotics mixed with a few remnant native spedes in the understory. <br />3.4.1 Ground Cover <br />Review of Tables Vi and V5 and Chart 1 indicates that the average cover of the derelict community <br />was 59.73%. Litter occupied an average of 34.67% of the ground cover while rock exhibited an average <br />of 2.53°k ground cover. Bare ground exposure was 3.07%. The three dominant plan) species were • <br />thickspike wheatgrass (Agropyron dasystachyum), smooth brome (Bromus inermis) and bindweed with <br />8.6%, 7.8'%, and 6.7% of the ground cover, respectively. Perennial plants contributed 67% of the plant <br />composition while native vegetation and noxious weeds contributed 30.4% and 20.8% of the total plant <br />cover, respectively. Review of Tables V1 and V7 indicate that a total of eight species contributed greater <br />than 3% relative cover. One of these species was a native perennial grass, two were introduced <br />perennial grasses, one was an introduced perennial torb, one was an annual grass, and the remaining <br />three were noxious weeds. These three noxious weed species were bindweed, whitetop [Cardaria <br />Iafilolia (drabs)], and houndstongue (Cynoglossum otricina/e). <br />3.4.2 Production <br />Because of the elevated variability of species, habits, and subtypes within this plant community as <br />well as its lack of substantive land use, it was agreed at the meeting with the Colorado Division of <br />Minerals and Geology that production would not be an important variable to measure. Therefore, this <br />variable was visually estimated during field work and was found to range from 100 to 2,000 pounds per <br />aae. Tho:se areas exhibiting the lower production values are typically south-facing disturbed areas with <br />significant (barren ground exposure and are usually dominated by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). Areias <br />with the more elevated production are typically moist ditch bottoms or the right-oi-way along the Fire- • <br />Mountain Canal where escaped pasture grasses and coarse weeds predominate. It is important to note <br />2~®[~A ~It~GS 31ca~IDCaestra, fNC. Page 19 Exhibit 5 -Bowie Baseline Vegetation Survey <br />