2021-12-22_PERMIT FILE - C1981019A

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RULE 2 PERMITS acres. Although not required by CMLRD regulations, the entire boundary was included in the vegetation sampling rather than just areas where surface disturbance was contemplated. Sampling Design - Study area and reference area sample sites were randomly selected prior to conducting quantitative studies in the field. The sampling sites were located by establishing a grid on the blue -line photomosaic base maps (scale: 1" = 400') along north -south and east -west grid lines with spacings of 1/4" (100' ground distance). Grid lines were numbered consecutively along two axes and pairs of random numbers were plotted utilizing a random numbers table. Sampling sites were located in the field as close to the map location as possible. All sampling sites were indicated on vegetation maps. A portion of the study area (approximately 170 acres) could not be sampled due to weather and grazing. The winter of 83-84 was particularly harsh for northwestern Colorado. Snowfall reached record levels and by spring, snowmelt caused severe flooding and landslides in the study area. Roads were washed out or blocked by slides and access was virtually impossible. Once road access was established exclosures were installed. Not all vegetation types in the study area were sampled with the same intensity. Major vegetation types (those whose area was greater than 5 percent of the total disturbance) were quantitatively sampled. Minor vegetation types (those whose areal extent was less than five percent of the total disturbance) were sampled qualitatively as per agreement with CMLRD. Reference Area Selection - Reference areas were selected according to the following criteria: 1) the vegetation types were similar to those within the study area, 2) the soils, slope, topography, and elevation of a vegetation type were similar to those within the same vegetation type in the study area, 3) the dominant species of a vegetation type were similar to those within the same vegetation type in the study area, 4) the areas were potentially able to be controlled by the Consolidation Coal Company and 5) surface disturbance was not contemplated in the areas. Ground Cover Measurement - Cover was measured by point intercept techniques at one -meter intervals along a randomly oriented 50 -meter transect. At each point a metal pin was projected downward from a height of four feet perpendicular to the transect and first hits on vegetation, litter, rock, or bare ground were recorded. Additional hits on vegetation were recorded by species to provide a more complete description of the species composition within each community. Production Measurement - Herbaceous production was obtained at each random sample site by harvesting the above ground herbaceous growth in a one x one meter square quadrat. Harvested tissue was separated by major species while minor species were combined by lifeform group. Leguminous perennial forb species were separated from other perennial forb species. Species with an estimated dry weight less than one gram were noted as a "trace" and arbitrarily assigned a value of 0.3 grams in data calculations. Harvested tissue was placed in paper bags, oven dried at 105 degrees Celsius for 24 hours and weighed to the nearest 0.1 gram. Woody Plant Density Measurement - Shrub density was obtained along a randomly oriented 50 meter transect by counting all individuals rooted within 0.5 meter of both sides of the transect (i.e. within a 1 x 50 meter quadrat). Shrub seedlings less than 5 inches tall were not counted; however, adult shrubs possessing diminutive morphology were counted. Tree density was obtained along randomly oriented 50 meter transects by counting all individuals rooted within 1 meter of both sides of the transect (i.e. within a 2 x 50 meter quadrat). DBH was determined for each mature individual and average height was established with a clinometer for mature trees. Trees were South Taylor/Lower Wilson — Rule 2, Page 40 Revision Date: 4/7/17 Revision No.: RN -07