2022-10-26_PERMIT FILE - C1981041

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Shrub Density and.Height Total shrub density averaged 5.1/10 m2 or 2040 plants per acre. Six species occurred in the density quadrats. Snakeweed is followed in dominance by black greasewood; Shadscale, obovateleaf saltbush, rubber rabbitbrush, and bricklebush (3aiche.l,lia m<cnvpJ~~.LLa. See Table 11. Shrub heights were varied, ranging from a high of 64.4 cm for black greasewood to a low of 12.8 cm for obovateleaf saltbush. See Table 11. 3.3 PLANT SPECIES LIST - STUDY AREAS A total of 92 vascular plants were identified in the three study areas. These include 4 trees, 21 shrubs, 4 succulents, 16 perennial graminoids, 3 annual graminoids, 20 perennial forbs, and 24 annual and biennial forbs. See Table 12. These include 43 species for the Grease- wood Shrubland, 42 species for the Shadscale Shrubland, and 49 species for the Greasewood/Shadscale Shrubland. Twenty-one plant species, or 23 percent of the flora, are introduc- tions from outside the geographic region. The greasewood control area has two prohibited (highly detrimental and especially difficult to control) and three restricted (very objectionable but controllable( noxious weeds. • Whitetop, a perennial forb and prohibited weed common to alkaline soils, occurs in the Greasewood study area. This plant, with an absolute cover of 1.3 percent, is the major weed infestation as no other noxious weed is abundant enough to occur in the cover data. Halogeton Ha,lvgetvrt g.Cvmeica.t~~, an annual forb and prohibited noxious weed poisonous to cattle, occurs in the Greasewood and Shadscale study areas. Quackgrass Agitvpytvrt ~epenn, a perennial grass introduced from Europe and a restricted noxious weed, was present only in the Greasewood study area. Chicory lettuce Lactuca #aata2ica ssp. puLche,Ua, a native perennial forb and a restricted noxious weed, also occurs in the Greasewood study area. Curly dock 2umex c~ci~pu~, a perennial forb and restricted noxious weed, occurs in all three study areas. 3.4 THREATENED OR ENDANGERED PLANT SPECIES Of species officially listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service IUSFWS 19801 as threatened or endangered, only one, the hookless Uinta basin cactus %edLvcactue q,Caucu~ (also known as ScLenvcactua g,Caucual, has a known distribution close to the project area. This cactus was not observed within any of the vegetation types or study areas in the permit area. There are two species, Wetheri I I mi Ikvetch Aa#ieaga.lu~ me.the~cL.Cli< and cliffdwellers candlestick Gcyptort,tha elata, currently under review • for threatened and endangered status IUSFWS 19801 which have a potential occurrence in the project area, considering their ecological requirements. -11-