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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS <br /> current annual herbaceous vegetation within the vertical boundaries of the frame will be clipped <br /> and bagged separately by life form as follows: <br /> Perennial Grass Perennial Forb <br /> Annual Grass Annual Forb <br /> Subshrub Noxious Weeds (if found) <br /> All production samples will be returned to the lab for drying and weighing. Drying will occur at <br /> 105°C until a stable weight is achieved(24 hours). Samples will then be re-weighed to the nearest <br /> 0.1 gram. <br /> Determination of Woody Plant Density <br /> Two sampling methods may be employed for monitoring woody plant density within Colowyo's <br /> revegetated units. The first method, belt transects, may be employed when the size of the <br /> monitoring unit exceeds one to two acres. At each sample site in such areas, a 2-meter wide by <br /> 50-meter long belt transect (or alternately 4 x 25 meter transect) should be established parallel to <br /> the ground cover transect and in the direction of the next sampling point. All woody plants(shrubs <br /> and trees)within each belt will be enumerated by species. Determination of whether or not a plant <br /> may be counted is dependent upon the location of its main stem or root collar where it exits the <br /> ground surface with regard to belt limits. A total of 5, 15 or 20 belt transects may be sampled for <br /> each monitoring unit. <br /> For bond release sampling with belts, sufficient samples must be collected to insure adequacy of <br /> the effort(to facilitate valid testing)in accordance with one of the three methods under either Rule <br /> 4.15.11 (2), or Rule 4.15.11 (3). Depending on the selected protocol, care must be taken to collect <br /> at least the minimum number of samples indicated (15, 30, 40, or 75, depending on the procedure <br /> utilized). <br /> The second method,total enumeration,may be employed for monitoring when the size of a unit is <br /> less than approximately one to two acres in size. Total enumeration shall be the typical method <br /> utilized for bond release purposes unless shrub patches are too large (e.g., greater than 10 to 15 <br /> acres) to practically utilize this technique (in which case belts will be utilized). This method <br /> involves total counts of woody plant populations as opposed to estimates of mean densities through <br /> statistical sampling. Implementation of the total count technique would involve circumscribing <br /> the boundaries of a target polygon with hip chain thread or similar visible designation. Once a <br /> unit is circumscribed in this manner, a team of two or more biologists walking shoulder-to- <br /> shoulder traverse the plot enumerating each plant by species. The person farthest inside the line <br /> of observers trails hip chain thread,or other means,to mark their path to prevent missing or double <br /> counting specimens on subsequent passes. The distance between observers should be 15 to 20 feet <br /> or less depending on the height of grasses and the presence of low growing taxa such as rose or <br /> snowberry. Each internal observer should also "zigzag" as the team progresses, occasionally <br /> turning to view the area just passed to ensure visual coverage of the entire survey path. Constant <br /> communication among crew members precludes double counting or missing of plants located <br /> along the margins of observed paths. Results from total enumeration efforts can be compared <br /> directly with success criteria without statistical testing. <br /> Rule 4 Performance Standards 4-66 Revision Date: 12/20/19 <br /> Revision No.: TR-135 <br />