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with reclaimed area data. To prevent bias in the data, and to protect the interests of the state, monitoring <br />locations for each of the vegetation types of the combined ERA were randomly generated and evenly <br />divided between the northern and southern areas (see summary of sampling design below). Combined <br />ERA monitoring locations are shown on Maps 3a, "Vegetation Monitoring Locations — 2015 Northern <br />Extended Reference Areas," and 3b, "Vegetation Monitoring Locations — 2015 Southern Extended <br />Reference Areas." <br />Summary of Sampling Design <br />Evaluation Parameter <br />Phase III BRB-3 <br />Combined ERA <br />Min. 32 samples <br />Min. 16 samples (to adequacy*) <br />Quantitative Cover Sampling <br />(16 North / 16 South) <br />(8 North / 8 South) <br />Min. 32 samples <br />Min. 32 samples <br />Quantitative Production Sampling <br />(16 North / 16 South) <br />(16 North / 16 South) <br />Woody Plant Density Sampling — <br />Min. 32 samples <br />NA <br />Background and Volunteer Areas <br />(16 North / 16 South) <br />Woody Plant Density Sampling — <br />Min. 30 samples <br />NA <br />Fenced Concentration Areas <br />Min. 16 samples <br />Min. 16 samples <br />Species Density Sampling <br />(8 North / 8 South) <br />(8 North / 8 South) <br />Hypoth. Testing for cover, <br />production and woody plant <br />Success Demonstration Approach <br />density <br />NA <br />3 of 4 specified tests for <br />species diversity <br />* Up to a maximum of 50 samples or use of upper 90% confidence limit after 15 samples. Should <br />additional samples be needed to achieve adequacy, data will be collected in pairs (one from the north and <br />one from the south as needed). <br />Cover Sampling <br />Cover data were collected along 50 m transects using a point -intercept method in which data were <br />recorded as interceptions of a point with a plant species, litter, standing dead plant material, soil, or rock. <br />Plant material produced during the current year and still standing was tallied by species. Litter was <br />considered to be any organic material that had fallen, or had begun to fall to the soil surface. Standing <br />dead was any dead plant material that was produced in previous years but which was still standing and <br />had not lodged or broken off to become litter. Inorganic material greater than 1 cm in diameter was <br />2 <br />