2023-04-19_PERMIT FILE - C1981010 (58)

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` ~ Doc 1tD ea ea ?J1„zoa, III IIIIIIi111111111 999 ~, ~~~ 2.6.1.3 Present and Potential Productivity of Existing Soils Potential soil productivity can also be inferred from a U.S. Soil Conservation Service (SCS) soil and range and condition survey made Eor Utah in 1974. While the mapping uniCS from that survey have since been found to be erroneous, the ranges of productivity potentials that [he SCS reported are useful. This survey reported on three separate range sites versus [he two general vegetation communi- ties of sage-grass and mountain shrub. These range sites were listed as 1) deep loam, 2) brushy loam; and, 3) clayey foothills. The deep loam range site roughly corresponded with the sage-grass plant community while the brushy loam range site was analagous to the mountain shrub plant community. More detailed analyses of j [he clayey foothills range site during [he 1978, 1979 and 1980 vegetation moni- [oring, reveal that [he areas thought to represent [his site are in fact arti- facts of past surface management practices, e.g. farming, burning, root plowing, spraying 2-4-D, etc. The vegetation on them is not climax and the areas should not be described as having a different potential [h an the surrounding or adjacent plan[ communities since they were originally corresponded [o the deep loam range site vegetation type i.e. big sagebrush-grass. The tfiree SCS range sites for the proposed permit area are described in the remainder of [his section. It should be kept in mind that the descriptions provided by the SCS are for a typical representative of these range sites as they occur regionally. Deep Loam Range Si[e Native (Potential) Ve ee[ation This is a productive grassland community occuring in the upper foothills and lower oakbrush climatic zone. Important grasses are bluebunch wheatgrass, mu[[ongrass, slender wheatgrass, needle-and-threadgrass, and western whea[- grass. Principal shrubs include big sagebrush, serviceberry, and snowberry. Other plants include Indian paintbrush, Fremont penstemon, lupine, low lark- spur, arrowleaf balsamroot, Fleabane, long-leaf loco, and tapertip hawks- beard. See Table 2.6-3 for percentage composition by weight of [he princi- pal species. 2-330 I