PERMFILE41579 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

`S 2.04.]0 ~~ VEGETATION INFORMATION 1 III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 999 ~, Doc Date:1 211 112 0 01 The vegetation of approximately 4.1 acres permit area has been dis- turbed by prior mining operations. Sparse vegetation remains on t}ie permit area. Mining activities over the years have replaced the vegetation with coal, shale, and sandstone surfaces in which the surface has been denuded of~plants. Only one vegetation community type has been disturbed; the Brushy Loam. I The vegetation of the upslope and disturbed areas consists ipredom- inantly of the Mountain Shrub type, dominated by Gambel Oak. The rimaining community is the Introduced Pasture. Little or no disturbance of this com- munity has occurred, except for the building of access roads. ~ Photographs and mapping and quantitative data collected in the permit area provide site-specific information to describe the vegetation typespresent within the mine plan area and the permit area are provided by vegetation ' studies carried out by the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) in range site des- criptions. The vegetation types are referenced on the vegetation map. The survey was carried out by the Soil Conservation Service on March 26, ]9816. I DESCRIPTION OF VEGETATION TYPES The vegetation of the Blue Flame Coal Mine permit area is comprised of three (3) types listed in order of extent: Mountain Shrub, traces of Juniper- Pinyon, and Introduced Pasture. These vegetation types occur within the mine area at elevations ranging from 7,360 feet to 7,680 feet. The average annual precipitation is approximately 20 inches for the permit area. The adjacent areas contain the very same vegetation communities. MOUNTAIN SHRUB The Mountain Shrub co~mnunity within the permit area is dominated by Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii). On North facing slopes, this community is made • up of very thick stands of oak. The understory of this oak dominated community is composed primarily of Kentucky Blue Grass (Poapratensis) and Snowberry - - _ ~