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Glasier Property appear to have been altered by prolonged grazing of wintering livestock as <br />evidenced by the relatively low amounts of herbaceous undergrowth found on these sites. The <br />dominant plant species growing on the Big Sagebrush vegetation type is Basin Big Sagebrush, <br />although there are minor amounts of Wyoming Big Sagebrush found in some areas. <br />Plant Cover <br />The results obtained from the sampling of the 15 plant cover transects on the Sagebrush <br />predisturbance area are presented in Table 2.04.10-6. Total plant cover on this site averaged <br />26.60 percent and litter cover averaged 33.47 percent. <br />Shrubs and subshrubs were the dominant plant life form encountered on this site, contributing <br />12.47 percent of the total plant cover and 46.87 percent of the total relative cover found on this <br />area. Annuals and biennials were the second most dominant plant life form, contributing 8.40 <br />percent of the total plant cover and 31.58 percent of the total relative cover found on this area. <br />Native perennial grasses contributed 2.80 percent of the total plant cover and 10.53 percent of <br />the total relative cover found on this area. Perennial forbs contributed 2.73 percent of the total <br />plant cover and 9.52 percent of the total relative cover found on this area. Basin Big Sagebrush <br />was the dominant plant species encountered, contributing 31.58 of the total relative plant cover <br />found on this site. The other dominant plants encountered were: Storksbill, Cheatgrass Brome, <br />Broom Snakeweed and Rubber Rabbitbrush which contributed 13.28, 11.53, 5.26 and 5.26 <br />percent, respectively, of the total relative cover on this area. The locations of the 15 cover <br />sampled in the Sagebrush predisturbance area are shown on Map 2.04.10-1. The sample <br />adequacy calculations in Table 2.04.10-2, document that the number of samples required to <br />describe this site at the 90 percent confidence interval was 10.0 transects. <br />Production <br />The results obtained from the sampling of 50 production transects on this area are summarized in <br />Table 2.04.10-7. This table shows that the average total herbaceous forage production on this <br />site equaled 3.46 g/1/4 m2 or 123.3 pounds of air dry -dry forage per acre. Perennial grasses <br />contributed 1.78 g/1/4 m2 or 51.44 percent of the herbaceous forage produced on this area. <br />Perennial forbs, contributed 1.68 g/1/4 m2 or 48.56 percent of the herbaceous forage production <br />on this area. <br />Evidence of the relatively poor ecological condition of the Big Sagebrush vegetation type is <br />found in the NRCS Soils Survey by comparing this monitoring data with that reported to occur <br />on the Semi Desert Loam and Pinyon -Juniper ecological sites, which correspond to the soils <br />types found in these Sagebrush areas. In the Soils Survey, herbaceous forage production for <br />Section 2.04. 10 Page 16 of 36 June 2016 (TR -14) <br />