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NOTICE OF INTENT TO EXPLORE INVOLVING REMOVAL OF 250 TONS OR LESS OF COAL SPRUCE STOMP Coal EXPLORATION PLAN AREA PAGE 14 • The Douglas Fir Vegetation Community is found along the Terror, Hubbard, and Bear creek drainages at elevations around 7,000 feet or less where the narrow canyon drainages and rapid runoff potentials preclude the establishment of the Cottonwood Vegetation Community discussed below. This community may also be found growing on north facing ridge slopes primarily bordering Bear Creek. The dominant tree species is Douglas Fir(Pseudotsuga menzesi~). Common understory species include serviceberry, snowbeny, Oregon-grape (Mahonia repens), and heart- . leaf arnica (Arnica cordifolia). This community can occasionally form broad transition zones, or ecotones, with the Spruce/Fir and Aspen communities resulting in more mixed vegetation types. The riparian areas common to the drainages of this community are similar to those of the Spruce/Fir type discussed above. The Cottonwood Vegetation Community is limited to the south-central portions of Hubbard Creek at elevations below approximately 7,000 feet. Slopes are typically nearly level to level reflecting an overall wetter soil moisture regime as compared to the Douglas Fir and Spruce/Fir vegetation communities located adjacent to drainages. Common tree species include narrow-leaf cottonwood (Populus angustifolia) and box-elder (Acernegundo) with Douglas Fir, Englemann spruce, and Juniperspecies occurring on side-slopes underdriersoil moisture conditions. Aspen may also be present in topographic depressions or in deeper, more fertile soils. Understory shrub species include those adapted to more moist substrates such as chokecherry, raspberry (Rubus idaeus), and Woods rose. As a consequence of more level topography and decreased runoff potentials, the wetlands and Waters of the U.S, associated with this vegetation community are broader and more well developed as compared to drainages in other vegetation communities. Scattered across the project area, the Grass/Forb Vegetation Community is associated primarily with nearly level to moderately sloping sites on a variety of aspects. Similarly, elevations vary in a similar manner. This community occurs as small natural clearings with other vegetation types, revegetated development disturbances, and heavily grazed meadows often associated with developed stockponds. Dominant vegetation includes a variety of native and introduced herbaceous species depending upon the origin of each delineation. Native species present include wheatgrasses (Agropyron sp.), bluegrasses (Poa sp.), needlegrasses (Stipa sp.), and a variety of penstemons (Penstemon sp.), as well as rushes (Juncus sp.)and spikerushes (Eleocharis sp.) bordering stock pond margins. Introduced species present, depending upon the disturbed site, include smooth brome (Bromus inermis), crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desetorum), Kentucky blugrass (Poa pratensis), and alfalfa (Medicago saliva) along with a number of introduced weedy species at varying densities (Hayes Environmental Services, Inc., 1995). The "Bare" cover designation includes rock slides, steep-walled cliffs, and other areas which support little or no vegetation due to the surface expression of geologic • material. Bare areas are also associated with the boundaries of the Terror Creek Reservoir. Theses areas total a comparatively small acreage.