PERMFILE45128

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 12/11/2001
• Section_Exhibit Name: Exhibit 70 Appendix M Environmental Baseline Studies
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

QUANTTfATIVE SAMPLING RESULTS
• The general composition of the oakbrush community was that of a multiple storied low
forest. The stories were composed of a tree or tall shrub component (>3 meters in
height), a medium height (1-2 meter) shrub component, and a low herbaceous graminoid
and forb component. The upper canopy was dominated by Quercus gambelii (Gambel's
oak) with occasional Juniperus osteosperma (Utah juniper), Amelanchier alnifolia
(serviceberry), and Prunus virginiana (chokecherry) individuals present in the canopy.
The medium height shrub understory was dominated by Symphoricarpos ro[undifolius
(snowberry) and occasional Rosa woodsii (Wood's rose) individuals. Poa pratensis
(Kentucky bluegrass) dominated the low herbaceous layer. Many minor graminoid and
forb species were also present in this layer.
Three lifeforms were encountered during the sampling of the RPE area. They included
graminoids, forbs, and woody shrubs. Seventeen individual plant species were identified
during sampling. Five species were graminoids, five were forbs, and seven were woody
plants. Of the species encountered, 16 were perennial and one was annual. All graminoid
species encountered were identified as cool season. Four of the five forbs were cool
season, with the Solidago (goldenrod) species being warm season. Woody species were
divided in morphologic type, with five being deciduous and two being evergreen. Fifteen
species were native in origin and two were introduced. None of the species encountered
were designated noxious weed species. The plant species encountered and their
characteristics are presented in Table 1.
• Vegetation Cover
Total vegetation cover of the RPE area was 82.00 percent. Based on cover sampling,
graminoids represented 2.93 percent mean cover (4.17% relative cover), forbs accounted
for 1.47 percent mean cover (1.26% relative cover), and woody plants represented 77.60
percent mean cover and 94.57 percent relative cover. A summary of the cover sampling
data are presented in Table 2.
The dominant plant species in the oakbrush community was Quercus gambelii at 64.40
percent mean cover (77.91% relative cover). All other species provided an order of
magnitude less cover than Quercus gambelii. Significant additional contributors to cover
are as follows. Symphoricarpos rotundifolius provided 5.33 percent mean cover and 7.17
percent relative cover. Amelanchier alnijolia accounted for 2.80 percent mean cover and
3.97 percent relative cover. Juniperus osteosperma provided 3.33 percent mean cover
and 3.78 percent relative cover. In all, these four species of woody plants accounted for
75.86 percent of mean total vegetation cover, and 92.83 percent of all relative vegetation
cover. Only one graminoid species contributed significantly to vegetation cover, Poa
pratensis contributed 2.00 percent mean cover and 3.10 percent relative cover.

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