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• on the description of this range site, it is estimated that 43 percent of the <br />original vegetation is present, placing the vegetation type in the fair condition <br />category. <br />The estimated herbage yield of this site is reported as 500 to 1,000 Ibs/ <br />acre lair-dry). Total herbaceous production of the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland <br />is estimated at 200 Ibs/acre for 1983. This translates to 0.11 AUM's per <br />acre for this vegetation type. <br />3.9 SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS, ADEQUACY, AND COMPARABILITY <br />For cover sampling, sample adequacy was easily achieved in all cases <br />180% confidence, 10% detectible reduction) 17able 28). For production sampling, <br />minimum sample sizes were high despite the large (2 m21 clipping quadrats, but <br />in all cases the maximum sample size was taken. In woody plant density sampling, <br />either sample adequacy was achieved or maximum sample size was taken. <br />In the Mountain Shrubland, comparison of cover and production data between <br />affected and reference areas shows non-comparability in both cases. Total cover <br />in the affected area was greater than in the reference area because the reference <br />area includes, in part, an area formerly burned, with less dense shrub cover. <br />The inclusion of a more open phase of mountain shrubland as part of the <br />Mountain Shrubland reference area was carefully predetermined and discussed <br />with CMLRD. It was reasoned that the shrub cover, in most of the Mountain <br />• Shrubland was denser than desirable for livestock and/or wildlife use. Amore <br />open configuration would enhance the use as range and wildlife habitat as well <br />as being a more reasonably achieved reclamation goal. The dense shrub cover <br />of the affected area makes total plant cover very high while at the same time <br />depressing herbaceous production. Therefore, while total cover in the affected <br />area is higher, herbaceous production is much lower. Note also that herbaceous <br />vegetation cover in the affected area comprises only about 14 percent of all <br />vegetation cover while in the reference area, about 34 percent of all vegetation <br />cover is herbaceous (based on all hit relative cover data!. This is the reverse <br />of the situation with total cover. Woody plant density in the Mountain Shrub- <br />land affected and reference areas is statistically comparable despite somewhat <br />lower figures in the reference area. <br />In the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland affected and reference areas cover and <br />production were both comparable. Total woody plant density is not quite <br />comparable because tree density was somewhat greater in the affected area. <br />With regard to the Caprock phase of the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, some <br />unexpected results were obtained. Although the cover and woody plant density <br />were lower than Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, the production was higher than the <br />Pinyon-Juniper Woodland affected and reference areas, although they are statis- <br />tically comparable. Despite the abundance of rock and very shallow soils in <br />the Caprock area, the herbaceous plants that are present mostly in cracks and <br />crevices are very robust, probably because of less shading and less intensive <br />root competition with woody plants than may be the case in the main area of <br />. the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland. The original idea in this study design was to <br />-1g- <br />