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Plant Cover. Total plant cover on this site averaged 73.80 percent and litter cover averaged 23.66 <br />percent. The average herbaceous plant cover value obtained from the 2014 sampling was 71.60 <br />percent with a variance of 63.04. <br />Seeded perennial grasses were the dominant plant life form encountered, contributing 68.33 percent <br />of the total plant cover or 92.59 percent of the total relative cover on this site. Shrubs contributed <br />2.20 percent of the total plant cover or 2.98 percent of the total relative cover. Perennial forbs <br />contributed 1.93 percent of the total plant cover or 2.63 percent of the total relative cover. Annuals <br />and biennials contributed 0.93 percent of the total plant cover or 2.63 percent of the total relative <br />cover. Noxious weeds contributed 0.40 percent of the total plant cover or 0.54 percent of the total <br />relative cover on this site. <br />Smooth Bromegrass, a planted introduced perennial grass was the dominant plant species <br />encountered, contributing 74.44 percent of the total relative plant cover found on this site. The other <br />dominant plants encountered were: Intermediate Wheatgrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Western <br />Wheatgrass, which contributed 4.34, 4.34, and 3.34 percent, respectively, to the total relative cover <br />on this area. <br />Production. The average air-dry total herbaceous forage production equaled 125.08 g/1/4 m2 or <br />4,457.9 pounds of air-dry forage per acre. Perennial grasses contributed 121.70 g/1/4 m2 or 97.30 <br />percent of the air-dry herbaceous forage. Perennial forbs contributed 2.70 g/1/4 m2 or 2.16 percent of <br />the air-dry herbaceous forage production. Annual grasses contributed 0.03 g/1/4 m2 or 0.02 percent <br />of the air-dry herbaceous forage production. Annual forbs contributed 0.49 g/1/4 m2 or 0.39 percent <br />of the air-dry herbaceous forage production. Noxious weeds contributed 0.17 g/1/4 m2 or 0.13 <br />percent of the air-dry herbaceous forage production. <br />The average oven -dry total herbaceous forage production equaled 119.63 g/1/4 m2 or 4,263.6 pounds <br />of oven -dry forage per acre. Perennial grasses contributed 116.42 g/1/4 m2 or 97.32 percent of the <br />oven -dry herbaceous forage. Perennial forbs contributed 2.57 g/1/4 m2 or 2.15 percent of the oven - <br />dry herbaceous forage production. Annual grasses contributed 0.02 g/1/4 m2 or 0.02 percent of the <br />oven -dry herbaceous forage production. Annual forbs contributed 0.46 g/1/4 m2 or 2.96 percent of <br />the oven -dry herbaceous forage production. Noxious weeds contributed 0.16 g/1/4 m2 or 0.13 <br />percent of the air-dry herbaceous forage production. <br />Shrub Density. The average shrub density was determined to equal 15.33 shrubs per one hundred <br />square meters or 620.4 shrubs per acre. Mountain Big Sagebrush, Mountain Snowberry and Viscid <br />Rabbitbrush were the dominant shrubs encountered. <br />Rare and Endangered Plants <br />Based upon a review of the listed threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species, as discussed in <br />Appendix D -VI, there are only two that could potentially occur in this area. <br />Wetherill Milkvetch. According to the distribution maps, this species occurs in Moffat County several <br />miles to the north of the Yampa River, also approximately 50 miles to the south in Garfield County. <br />This species is reported to occur in habitats consisting of "steep slopes, canyon benches, and talus <br />under cliffs in sandy clay soils, derived from shale and sandstone." This species grows with sagebrush <br />and juniper at elevations of 5250 to 7400 feet. Given the total absence of these habitat conditions on <br />the PR -7 Mine Expansion Area, it is essentially impossible that this plant would occur on this site. No <br />individuals of this plant were encountered on this site. <br />2-122p <br />