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EXHIBIT J —Vegetation Information
<br /> 1. Source(s)of information: USDA Soil Conservation Service,Soil Conservation District, USDA National
<br /> Forest Service
<br /> 2. Vegetative communities and conditions: As shown in tables J-1 and-2. See also Exhibit F.
<br /> This site is located within the Sedimentary Mid-Elevation Forests ecoregion,which is characterized by forests,
<br /> savannahs,and limited grass-,and shrublands.
<br /> Table J-1. Vegetative communities:
<br /> Community(Ecological Vegetation layer and dominant species
<br /> sitel Cover Type
<br /> Ponderosa Pine Estimated 203 acres of total 299 including 141 acres in permit area.(6 acres
<br /> (Lower Montane Forest deforested in 2021 by Dutton Ranch )Ponderosa pine,with Gambel oak
<br /> M022) understory, but with small stands of Lodgepole,White fir,and Douglas fir.
<br /> DOMINANT Characteristic trees are predominantly conifers and include white
<br /> COMMUNITY fir (Abies concolor), Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, limber pine (Pinus
<br /> flexilis), southwestern white pine (P strobiformis), and Rocky
<br /> Mountain juniper (Junip999erus scopulorum) Cold-deciduous trees
<br /> occasionally mix in the canopy or are dominant in some locations,
<br /> e g., quaking aspen and big-tooth maple (Acer grandidentatum) At
<br /> the lower-elevation margins, Mexican pinon (Pinus cembroides),
<br /> two-needle pinon (P. edulis), and alligator juniper (Juniperus
<br /> deppeana) may be present in the subcanopy Cold-deciduous,
<br /> broad-leaved shrubs can be common in the undergrowth, e g ,
<br /> Rocky Mountain maple (Acer glabrum), Gambel's oak, and New
<br /> Mexico locust (Robinia neomexicana). In closed-canopy conditions,
<br /> grasses or forbs may be sparse Under more open canopies, grasses
<br /> in particular may be abundant, leading to the formation of savanna-
<br /> like woodland Representative graminoids include mountain muhly
<br /> (Muhlenbergia montana), Arizona fescue (Festuca arizonica), fringed
<br /> brome (Bromus ciliates), and Ross' sedge (Carex rossii) This forest
<br /> type occurs across a broad range of soils, geology, and
<br /> topographical conditions. Fire regimes vary from mixed severity
<br /> (surface and canopy fires) to low severity (mostly frequent surface
<br /> fires, e g., savannas) In general, fire suppression has led to
<br /> encroachment of more shade-tolerant, less fire-tolerant species,
<br /> resulting in an attendant increase in fire hazard
<br /> Mountain Shrubland Estimated 54 acres of total 299 including 10 acres in permit area,mostly due to
<br /> (Montane Shrubland previous mining.Vegetation is characterized by an open to dense,
<br /> M049) broad-leaved deciduous shrub canopy dominated by alderleaf
<br /> mountain mahogany and/or Gambel's oak Other shrubs may be
<br /> codominant such as big sagebrush, Fendler's ceanothus (Ceanothus
<br /> fendleri), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), sl<unkbush sumac, wax
<br /> currant (Ribes cereum), New Mexico locust, wild roses (Rosa spp.),
<br /> mountain snowberry (Symphoricarpos oreophilus), and roundleaf
<br /> snowberry (S rotundifolius). The herbaceous layer is sparse to
<br /> moderately dense and dominated by perennial graminoids and a mix
<br /> of scattered forbs Annual grasses and forbs are seasonally present
<br /> Graminoids are characterized by species that are also common in
<br /> adjacent woodlands and forests, e g Scribner needlegrass
<br /> (Achnatherum scribneri), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii),
<br /> threeawns (Aristida spp ), sideoats grama, blue grama, long-stolon
<br /> sedge (Carex inops), Geyer's sedge (Carex geyeri), Arizona
<br /> wheatgrass (Elymus arizonicus), fescue (Festuca spp ), needle and
<br /> thread, New Mexico feathergrass (Hesperostipa neomexicana),
<br /> C&J Gravel Products, Inc. Page 46 of 93 20 OCT 2021
<br /> Application for Permit: Oakbrush Hill Gravel M-2021- C&J-DPR-V5-001
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