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snowberry, and big sagebrush, in order of decreasing abundance. Native perennial graminoids were <br />the next most abundant lifeform, with 19.4 percent cover, the bulk of which was bluebunch • <br />wheatgrass, sun sedge (Carex Rensylvanica ssp. fie(~pphila), and Agassiz bluegrass. Native <br />perennial forbs accounted for 8.2 percent of vegetation cover, primarily comprised of arrowleaf <br />balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sa ' alai, few-flower goldenrod (Solidago velutinal, and American <br />vetch. Introduced annual grasses, Japanese brome, and cheatgrass (Anisantha tectoruml, accounted <br />for 4.2 percent of vegetation cover. <br />Alkaff Meadow Vegetation Type (Figure 18) <br />This vegetation type is found along the haul road corridor, in alkaline drainage bottoms between <br />hills largely dominated by the Western Wheatgrass /Alkali Sagebrush vegetation type. Total <br />vegetation cover was 71.7 percent (Table B9), with 8.7 percent bare soil cover and 19.7 percent <br />litter cover. Species density was 12.0 species per 100 sq. m. Although soils within this mapping <br />unit are alkaline-affected, herbaceous biomass production on this site was quite high at 4,502 <br />Ibs/acre (Table 614). Shrub density was not sampled in this herbaceous community. <br />The following discussion describes species dominance in the Alkali Meadow vegetation type based on <br />the all-laver relative cover values. All percentages given in the following paragraph refer to this <br />cover statistic. • <br />By far the most abundant lifeform in this type was native perennial graminoids, with 79.4 percent <br />of cover. The most abundant species were western wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass, foxtail barley <br />(Criterion jubatum), Agassiz bluegrass, big bluegrass (Poa juncifolia), and Nuttall alkaligrass <br />(Puccinellia airoidesl. Introduced perennial grasses were also modestly abundant with 10.9 <br />percent cover, most of which was meadow barley (Critesion brachyantherum) and common timothy. <br />The only other significant amounts of cover came from introduced annual and biennial forbs which <br />accounted for 8.4 percent of cover, almost all of which was burning-bush (Bassia sieversianal and <br />tumbling orach (Atriplex roses). <br />Alkali Sagebrush / Greasewood (Figure 19) <br />This vegetation type was found on a few small areas of alkaline toeslope along the haul road corridor <br />(Map 2). It was relatively sparsely vegetated, with only 36.2 percent total vegetation cover (Table <br />B10). Bare soil and litter amounted to 40.0 and 23.8 percent, respectively. Species density was <br />only 15.8 species per 100 sq. m.. Production was not assessed for this vegetation type in 1992. <br />• <br />18 <br />