2018-08-30_PERMIT FILE - C1982057 (2)

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• during the 1979, 1980, and 1983 sampling programs. In the 1983 sampling program, plant species present in the sample stand but not encountered during the quantitative sampling were noted as "present." Frequency of species quantitatively encountered was calculated based on presence or absence of plant species in the sampled stands (i.e. including not only species quantitatively encountered but also those noted as "present"). During the course of the 1983 field work, plants were collected, identified, and pressed. Specimens were submitted to Dr. W. A. Weber of the University of Colorado Herbarium for verification. Based on these collections and field observations, an annotated species list was developed (see Table 10-4). The status of each plant (native or introduced), and whether annual, perennial, or biennial have been indicated. Production. During the 1983 field season, production data was collected from the sagebrush, mixed brush, and aspen vegetation types and the associated reference areas for the mine area. Beginning in late July, the wire exclosures were removed and a circular metal hoop • precisely one square meter in area was placed over the vegetation. The current year's growth of all species except cacti, cushion plants, trees, shrubs, and subshrubs was clipped 1 cm from the soil surface. These clipped materials were separated as described below and placed in labeled paper bags. The bag label included the date, vegetation type, sample number, and species included. Grasses were clipped and separated by species; major forbs were identified prior to clipping and separated by species. Minor forbs were lumped in the following categories: annual native, annual introduced, perennial native, and perennial introduced. Clipped plant material was returned to the WRDC laboratory where it was oven dried in a thermostatically controlled, fan-ventilated oven for 24 hours at 105°C and weighed to the nearest tenth of a gram. Production data are reported in grams per square meter, kilograms per hectare, and pounds per acre. In the haul road area, herbaceous and shrub components were clipped during September 1980. Clipping was done until sampling adequacy was met for the combined shrub and herbaceous component. Sampling was then continued until adequacy was met for the herbaceous . component alone. Current annual growth an d the year's standing dead from the four to six dominant species within each 0.5 m x 2.0 m plot were clipped and bagged according to 11