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Within the mixed shrub reference area, approximately 26,264 trees and <br />• <br />• <br />shrubs occurred per acre (Table 11). Of these, approximately 26,143 were <br />shrub species while 81 Utah juniper trees per acre were present. Gambel oak <br />was the dominant shrub with stems in the less than 1 in. diameter class being <br />mast abundant. Utah serviceberry was a major subdominant species. <br />Species Diversity - A summary of species diversity for the two reference <br />areas and one affected area is presented at Table 12. The most diverse area <br />was the pinon-juniper affected area with a diversity index of 1.01. This area <br />also had the largest number of species with a total of 35 being observed in <br />the samples. <br />Sample Adequacy - Table 13 presents a summary of sample adequacy for the <br />1981 inventory data. In general, sample adequacy was obtained for cover data <br />at all the sites, however, it was not obtained for production and density <br />data. However, per discussion on August i, 1980, with the MLR6 and OSM, an <br />adequate number of samples were taken. <br />It is not surprising that an adequate sample for production data were not <br />obtained because of the sparse nature of the pinon-juniper and the mixed shrub <br />understory. <br />DISCUSSION <br />• <br />The vegetation at the Orchard Valley Mine is typical of the pinon-juniper <br />vegetation types and mixed shrub types found throughout Delta County. The <br />pinon juniper type can be characterized by an open canopy of pinon and juniper <br />trees with a very sparse understory of grasses and fortis of which Lhe dominant <br />species are annuals. Obtaining an adequate sample for cover and production of <br />vegetation is difficult utilizing 50 plots or less because of the variable <br />-23- <br />