2025-08-01_PERMIT FILE - C1981019

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RULE 2 PERMITS South Taylor – Rule 2, Page 40 Revision Date: 7/21/25 Revision No.: MR-267 amount of disturbance projected for this type was less than 5 percent of the total and, as per agreement with Division, did not require sampling. Douglas Fir – A small area of Douglas Fir forest was located in section 29 on a steep northwest-facing slope (Figure 3.14 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). Trees within the stand were all ages as determined by observation of dbh (diameter at breast height) sizes. The canopy was continuous with dense trees. Ground cover was sparse. Percentages of litter and bare ground cover were high. Juniper – Small acreages of juniper dominated areas occurred on steep southwest-facing hillsides in section 22 overlooking Highway 13 (Figure 3.15 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). Except for the presence of Rocky Mountain juniper, the area would have been mapped as sagebrush-grassland. Juniper trees occurred as scattered individuals on the hillside. Understory species were similar to that of the sagebrush-grassland. Riparian Woodland – A very small acreage of boxelder maple-dominated riparian woodland occurred in section 5 (Figure 3.16 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). This area along Wilson creek exhibited 95-100 percent domination by boxelder maple trees of various diameter classes. Trees were 40 to 80 feet tall. Understory species were similar to that of the meadow vegetation type. Numerous weedy species were observed in the understory including Canada thistle, rubber rabbitbrush, Great Basin wildrye, burdock and Kentucky bluegrass. Agricultural – Small areas of hay meadows occur within the main portion of the study area and along the railroad corridor adjacent to Good Spring Creek (Figure 3.19 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). Timothy, orchard grass and wheatgrasses comprised the majority of the grasses in the hay meadows. Cultivated areas occurred along the railroad corridors. Barley, wheat and oats are the most frequently cultivated species. Sample Adequacy and Equivalency – In general, an adequate sample was achieved for all parameters in all native vegetation types sampled (Table 3.9 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). An adequate sample for cover was generally achieved with 15 study sites. An adequate sample for production, however, depended upon the vegetation type. The mountain shrub and aspen vegetation types had lower variability than other types and therefore fewer samples needed to be obtained. The sagebrush-grassland vegetation type, because of the many phases within the type, was quite variable and as such more samples needed to be taken to adequately sample the community. All reference areas were considered equivalent in terms of vegetation cover, production and species diversity (Table 3.10 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). Reference areas selected generally had a higher total vegetation cover and a higher production in all reference areas (except the aspen reference area) and also had higher species diversity than the corresponding study area samples. As such, the reference areas selected were considered adequate to represent the study area samples. Justification for Reference Area Selection COLLOM ASPEN REFERENCE AREA The Collom Aspen Reference Area (2005) is a suitable replacement for the 1984 Aspen Reference Area, comparability for both total cover and production, when comparing the 2005 Collom Aspen Reference Area with the Aspen Reference Area (1984) and the Danforth Baseline Study. Please see Exhibit 10, Item 6. SAGEBRUSH REFERENCE AREA Colowyo will use the C-SRA as the sole “targeted” reference area for ground cover and production testing for all South Taylor disturbance areas as delineated by the green tie-in boundary shown on Map 23