_REVISION - M1980245 ‎(3)‎

• Permit No: M1980245
• IBM Index Class Name: Revision
• Doc Name: Exhibit I & J ‎(Cont)‎
• Type & Sequence: HR1
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

EXHIBIT J
VDGETATION INFORMATION
Like most areas that traverse hogback formations, the vegetation
communities of this site blend into one another and display transitions
that range from extremely gradual to moderately abrupt. Transecte
perpendicular to the outcrop line of the hogbacks showed a very gradual
transition across the Satanta and Newlin soils and a moderately abrupt
transition from the Newlin to the Stony Steep Land soils. Table 1
shows the characteristic species found on the site as a whole and the
various substrates these species tend to associate with on the site.
The table clearly shows the nature of the rather gradual transitions.
To refresh the reader's memory, the Satanta series is found on the
lowest areas of the affected land while the Stony Steep Land occupies
the upper areas of the Dakota hogback and the Newlin series occupies
an intermediate area. Most of the disturbed areas that have growth
are either stripped Satanta/Newlin soils or stockpiles of those same
soils.
There appears to be two fairly natural plant communities found
on the site. The grasslands are found on the Satanta and Newlin soils
while the shrublands are found primarily on the crests of the hogbacks
and as far down the slope as stony soil can be found. As a result, the
presence of shrubs, especially Mountain Mahogany, delineate the boundary
between the Newlin/Satanta complexes and the Stony Steep Land soils.
Apparently, much of the land was once farmed and subsequently seeded
with various wheatgrasses, but primarily Crested Wheatgrass. Productivity
was good this year, but precipitation was unusually high as well. The
vegetation certainly shows that the salvageable soils are productive
and fertile.
The vegetation of the disturbed areas (also included on Table 1)
show that the soils are capable of good growth. They also show that
some problems with weeds. may occur as revegetation proceeds. As these
soils tend to be somewhat droughty, excessive weed growths should be
controlled or competition for water may harm the desirable growths.