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

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• dividing Dry and Sage Creeks and at lower elevations along gullies and streams. About 4 percent (53 acres) of the mine permit area is occupied by the Aspen type. Sites on which quaking aspen stands occur are typically north to northwest-facing slopes and drainages (Exhibit 10-1, Figures 10-1 and 10-2). Aspen trees are 20 to 40 feet (7 to 13 m) tall. Aspen trees dominated the vegetation cover with over half the total absolute vegetation cover; of total vegetation cover considering all strata (i.e., all hits relative cover), aspen comprised about one-fourth. Shrubs were the next most abundant life form with about 20 percent of the vegetation cover. The species providing greatest cover were Saskatoon se rvicebe rry and mountain snowberry. Perennial graminoids were moderately well developed, totalling about 8 percent of first hit cover and 13 percent of all hit cover. The most conspicuous were fringed brome (Bromopsis ciliata), blue wildrye (Elymus 1g aucus), and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis). Perennial forbs were nearly as abundant as shrubs, with about 17 percent of first hit cover and nearly one-third of the cover of all strata. Most prominent among the perennial forbs were western yarrow (Achilles mill of olium ssp. lanulosa), nettleleaf gianthyssop (Agas to the urticifolia), Fendler waterl eaf (Hydrophyllum fendleri), mountain blue bells (Merte nsia ci lists), spreading sweetroot (Osmorhiza • chi len si s), anise sweetroot (0 smorhiza occidentals s), cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata), and tall stemmed white violet (Viola rugulosa ). The annual and biennial forbs provided a small cover, only about 4 percent of the vegetation cover. The only abundant annual forb was common hou ndstongue (Cynogloss um of ficinale). Total vegetation cover in the affected area was about 95 percent. Herbaceous species comprise slightly over half of all cover when all strata were considered together (all hits data). In the original Aspen Woodland reference area, the pattern is very similar except shrub cover is greater, and herbaceous cover (graminoids and forbs) is less. As can be seen in Table 2-9, the density of shrubs in the affected area was quite variable ran in from 15 stems 2 2 g g per 50 m to 121 per 50 m among the 30 affected area sample stands. The reference area stand (Table 2-10) is in the middle to upper end of this range of density. Overall, the woody plant density of the Aspen Woodland reference area was markedly greater than that of the affected area. Nearly all the major shrub species, except mountain snowberry, were more abundant than in the affected area. . In the affected area, the major shrub in terms of density was, by far, mountain snowberry. In the reference area, mountain snowberry was nearly as dense as the affected area but 19