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these percentages yields a weighted average woody plant density on the Refuse Pile <br />Reclamation of 639.9 woody plants per acre (647.5 X .9444 = 611.6 plus 508.1 X 0.0556 <br />=28.3). <br />NEW PORTAL REFERENCE AREA <br />Plant Cover. The results obtained from the sampling of the 30 plant cover transects are <br />presented in Table 9, New Portal Reference Area - 2014 Plant Cover. "Total plant cover" <br />averaged 26.80 %, litter cover averaged 40.93 % and "allowable plant cover" averaged 25.57 <br />Woody plants, consisting of Trees and Shrubs was the dominant plant life form encountered, <br />contributing 16.20 % of the total plant cover or 60.45 % of the total relative plant cover on this <br />undisturbed site. Grasses was the second most dominant plant life form, contributing 7.57 % of <br />the total plant cover or 28.23 % of the total relative plant cover. Annuals was the third most <br />dominant plant form, contributing 1.23 % of the total plant cover or 4.60 % of the total relative <br />plant cover. Perennial forbs contributed 1.00 % of the total plant cover or 3.73 % of the total <br />relative plant cover. Succulents contributed 0.80 % of the total plant cover or 2.99 % of the <br />total relative plant cover. Noxious weeds were not encountered in the plant cover sampling of <br />this site. <br />The most dominant plant species encountered was Gambel Oak which contributed 10.30 % of <br />the total plant cover or 38.43 % of the total relative plant cover. Blue Grama was the second <br />most dominant plant species and contributed 3.00 % of the total plant cover or 11.19 % of the <br />total relative plant cover. The third most dominant species was Mountain Mahogany, which <br />contributed 2.67 % of the total relative plant cover or 9.95 % of the total relative plant cover. <br />Pinyon Pine, was the fourth most dominant plant and contributed 1.23 % of the total plant <br />cover or 4.60 % of the total relative plant cover. <br />The locations of the 30 cover transects sampled are shown on Map 12, New Portal Reference <br />Area - 2014 Transect Location Map. The sample adequacy calculations in Table 2, 2014 <br />Statistical Summary and Sample Adequacy Calculations, document that the number of <br />transects required to characterize the "total plant cover" was 26.7 transects and 23.1 transects <br />for "allowable plant cover" at the 90 % confidence interval. Since the number of samples <br />collected from this area (N=30) exceeds the minimum number of samples required by the <br />CDRMS regulations to characterize the parameter of "allowable plant cover" at the 90 % <br />statistical confidence level (Nm=23.1), the successfulness of revegetation efforts at this site <br />with respect to plant cover can be made by direct comparison. <br />Forage Production. The results obtained from the sampling of the 30 forage production <br />transects are summarized in Table 10, New Portal Reference Area - 2014 Production. <br />Perennial herbaceous forage production averaged 6.89 g/1/4 m2 or 245.6 pounds of air-dry <br />forage per acre. Perennial grasses produced 5.35 g/1/4 m2 or 190.8 pounds of air-dry forage <br />per acre and accounted for 77.7 % of the forage production. Perennial forbs contributed 1.54 <br />g/l/4m' or 54.9 pounds of air-dry forage per acre and accounted for 22.3 % of the total <br />perennial herbaceous forage production. <br />The locations of the 30 forage production transects sampled on this site are shown on Map 12, <br />New Portal Reference Area - 2014 Transect Location Map. The sample adequacy <br />calculations in Table 2, 2014 Statistical Summary and Sample Adequacy Calculations, <br />document that the number of samples required to characterize the parameter of forage <br />production on this site at the 90 % confidence interval was 288.7 transects. <br />13 <br />