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• and 20 in reference areas would be sufficient. However, even these values were not <br />attained except for in the Disturbed Meadow community. Precise woody stem density <br />data was unnecessary because a standard is typically applied to most mine sites that is <br />in no way related to actual baseline quantities. Therefore, woody stem yuadrats were <br />only laid out in association with cover sampling. As a result, with the exception of the <br />MEADOW community, the number of woody stem quadrats that were sampled was <br />equivalent to the number of cover transects that were required to satisfy adequacy. <br />Should the Division consider the latter argument to be unacceptable, the sampler is <br />prepared to complete the remaining woody stem counts in the spring of 1996. In the <br />mean time, the collected samples are a complete and random unit in themselves. They <br />therefore can be expected to give a fairly reliable estimate of actual density. <br />Herbaceous Production. <br />• <br />As recommended on page 7 of the Division's Vegetation Guidelines, one meter <br />square quadrats were used in estimating total herbaceous productivity for both the <br />Juniper Woodland and the Mixed Shrub communities. Because of the dominance of <br />herbaceous vegetation in the Disturbed Meadow baseline area, only 1/4 meter squared <br />quadrats were used to estimate this community's productivity. One plot was sampled at <br />each sample location. <br />All current annual herbaceous production within the volumetric vertical <br />projection of each quadrat was clipped, bagged, and separated according to life form. <br />The five life forms included perennial and annual grasses, perennial and annual fortis, <br />and noxious weeds. All production samples were air dried and then oven dried at <br />110oF to a constant weight. Samples were weighed using an ACCULAB scale, model <br />• <br />4 <br />