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<br />Daub & Associates, Inc. Page 3-51 2015 NS Mine Plan Modification <br />1/5/2016 Section 3 General Site Conditions <br />bluebunch wheatgrass and prairie junegrass were a dominant part, about 28 percent <br />cover of this subtype. <br />Another inclusion or subtype was found on south-facing slopes and contains <br />elements of both the Big Sagebrush and Pinyon-Juniper types (Table 3-12; transect <br />SB-9). The shrub layer is more diverse with a lower dominance of big sagebrush <br />and a greater amount of other shrubs including rubber and Douglas rabbitbrush, <br />lance-leaved buckwheat (Eriogonum lonchophyllum), gray horsebrush (Tetradymia <br />canescens) and Antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata). Forbs included: Douglas <br />dusty maiden (Chaenactis douglasii), stemless goldenweed (Hymenoxx acaulis), <br />northern sweetvetch (Hedysarum boreale), silky cryptantha (Cryptantha sericea), <br />and Nuttall's goldenweed (Haplopappus nuttallii). Grasses are not as common as in <br />other sagebrush areas; 8 percent of the cover in transect SB-9 consisted of prairie <br />junegrass and Indian ricegrass. <br />Pinyon-Juniper Woodland <br />The Pinyon-Juniper type is a tree dominated community with little understory. This <br />type is generally found in shallow soils located on hills and side slopes. The soils on <br />which this type most frequently occurs are the Rentsac, Rentsac-Piceance, and <br />Torriorthents complex. Pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) and Utah juniper (Juniperus <br />osteosperma) are the dominant species. Although no specific estimates of canopy <br />cover were determined for these species, previous studies have estimated canopy <br />coverage to be 26 percent (LGL, 1982) and 50 percent (CDM, 1983). <br />The shrub layer is typically sparse, comprising 12 percent of the vegetation cover <br />(Table 3-13). Big sagebrush, Antelope bitterbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, and <br />snakeweed are generally scattered throughout the understory. Localized areas of <br />sandstone outcrops are vegetated by true mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus <br />montanus) and lance-leaved buckwheat. <br />Forbs found in the understory include: Nuttall's goldenweed, stemless hymenoxys, <br />silky cryptantha, ballhead gilia (Gilia congesta), timber poisonvetch (Astragalus