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52.04 APPLICATION FOR PERMIT FOR SIIRFACE OR UNDERGROUND MINING ACT;VITIES -- MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR INFORMATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES. C7 2.04,10 Vegetation Information. (Cont'd,) (4) (Cont`d.) Sparse Herbaceous Understory: The sparse herbaceous under- story vegetation type occurs naturally in small areas below the Orchard Valley Mine at an average elevation of approxi- mately 6600 feet. Weedy forb species comprise most of the sparse cover, The occurrence of these species may not neces- sarily result from human abuse or overgrazing, Soils tend to be a silty, clay type, with high shrink-swell capabilities. As a result, tree and shrub species have not readily invaded these sparsely covered herbaceous areas (Hor- ner-White, 1982), As much as 30% of the area is bare ground, with little rock and litter cover material. Perennial forb and grass species with taproot and rhizomatous root systems are favored (Harper-White, 1982), Forb species include thistle, yellow sweetclover, and showy goldeye. tdestern wheatgrass is a common grass species. Riparian: The riparian vegetation type occurs near the train loadout area along the North Fork of the Gunnison River and • along the major creeks and streams in the permit area. The typical trees and shrubs composing riparian vegetation are narrowleaf cottonwood, plains cottonwood, box elder, birch, alder, hawthorn, red osier dogwood, virginsbower, wildrose, and many species of willows. Aspen may sometimes occur along streams as a riparian plant, mainly at elevations lower than that at which it is normally found. Salt cedar occurs along rivers and streams at lower elevations, below 6,000 feet. Herbaceous species include many different grasses, forb s, and sedges. The specific composition of herbaceous species in ri- parian vegetation varies considerably with altitude. Surface facilities at the Orchard Valley hfine have disturbed acreage in both the mixed shrub and pinyon-juniper vegetation types. Reference areas foc these types have been established and meet the following criteria: 1) are located in areas not to be affected during the life of mine; 2) are at least three acres or more in size; 3) are of similar vegetation as areas currently affected or to be affected in the future by the Or- chard Valley Mine; and 4) represent a diversity of slope, as- pect, and soils similar to the vegetation types affected. Vegetation sampling data was collected from the reference areas in 1981 and 1982, and is presented in the Vegetation Revised 08/01/84 . Revised 10/12/86 Revised 10/01/87 74