2022-12-20_PERMIT FILE - C1981019A (3)

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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Rule 4 Performance Standards 4-46 Revision Date: 12/14/22 Revision No.: MR-245 direction and then sample them in reverse order. However, orientation protocol will always be maintained (i.e. in the direction of the next point to be physically sampled). If the boundary of an area is encountered before reaching the full length of a transect, the transect orientation will be turned 90° in the appropriate direction so the transect will be completed within the target unit. In this manner, edge transects will be retained entirely within the target unit by “bouncing” off the boundaries. Production quadrats will always be oriented 90° to the right (clockwise) of the ground cover transect and placed one meter from the starting point so as to avoid any trampled vegetation. Woody plant density belts (for monitoring efforts) will be extended parallel to the ground cover transects for a distance of 50 meters and width of 2 meters. (If the grid distance is less than 50 meters, density belts will be reconfigured to be 4 m X 25 m or similar configuration, but always totaling 100 m2.) Determination of Ground Cover Ground cover at each sampling site will be determined utilizing the point-intercept methodology. This methodology will be applied as follows: First, a transect 10 meters in length will be extended from the starting point of each sample site toward the direction of the next site to be sampled. Then, at each one-meter interval along the transect, a “laser point bar”, “optical point bar” or 10- point frame will be situated vertically above the ground surface, and a set of 10 readings recorded as to hits on vegetation (by species), litter, rock (>2mm), or bare soil. Hits will be determined at each meter interval as follows: 1. When a laser point bar is used, a battery of 10 specialized lasers situated along the bar at 10-centimeter intervals will be activated and the variable intercepted by each of the narrow (0.02”) focused beams will be recorded; 2. If an optical point bar is used, intercepts will be recorded based on the item intercepted by fine crosshairs situated within each of 10 optical scopes located at 10-centimeter intervals. 3. If a 10-point frame is used, sharpened pins will be used to determine intercepts at 10- centimeter intervals. Care will be taken to NOT record “side touches” on the pins as this will result in a significant overestimation error. The following sampling rules should apply during data collection. Intercepts will be recorded for the first (typically highest) current annual (alive during the current growing season) plant part intercepted without regard to underlying intercepts or attachment to a living base except when multiple strata are present. In this circumstance, multiple live hits may be recorded, but only one hit per stratum with the second live hit being recorded separately and not used to calculate total ground cover. Otherwise, the intercept will be litter, rock or bare soil. Rock intercepts are based on a particle size of 2 mm or larger (NRCS definition), otherwise it would be classified as bare soil. To distinguish between current year senescent plant material and litter (including standing dead), the following rule should apply: 1) if the material is gray or faded tan it should be considered litter; and 2) if the material is bright yellow or beige it should be considered current annual (alive) and recorded by species. On occasion, experience with non-conforming taxa may override this rule.