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~• ~ ~ MOFlRISON-KNUOSEN.~~'~NY. RJC <br />pls. Carol Pa hike <br />.•1r. Jim Herron <br />August 5, 1980 <br />Page 2 <br />A reference area will not be established for the wet meadow community <br />since the extent of disturbance of this community is less than 3 percent of <br />the total planned disturbance. <br />On the mine plan area and on reference areas, sampling will be conducted <br />within homogeneous vegetation. 1'!ithin these areas, samples will be located <br />randomly. For each vegetation type, sample methods will be the same on <br />the mine plan and reference area. Parameters to be sampled are herbaceous <br />cover and productivity and woody plant density. For each vegetation <br />community sample unit (reference or disturbance area) the intent will be <br />to sample each parameter within 10 percent of the actual mean value with <br />80 percent statistical confidence. <br />For comparisons between reference and disturbance areas, a one-tailed t <br />test will be used. The hypothesis to be tested is that vegetation <br />abundance on the reference area is equal to or greater than that on the <br />mine plan area. The alternative Hypothesis would be that vegetation abundance <br />is less on the reference area. This hypothesis will be tested at the <br />p = .05 level. If vegetation abundance on the reference area is greater <br />than on the mine plan area, no statistical testing v~ill be required. <br />Quadrats 5 x 25m in size will be used to sample herbaceous cover and <br />woody plant density in the aspen and oak brush types. Tr•!o by twenty-five <br />meter quadrats will be used in the mountain shrub type. Apoint-frequency <br />frame will be used to measure canop;~ cover of herbaceous vegetation. Species <br />will be recorded vr{ren the pin contacts vegetation. Each quadrat will <br />constitute one sample and the intent will be to sample enough quadrats to meet <br />the statistical requirements. <br />Productivity sample locations will be chosen independently from quadrat <br />samples. Plots will be one meter square and all herbaceous vegetation will be <br />clipped. Dominant species will be listed separately and subordinate <br />species will be grouped by life-form. Equal numbers of plots will be clipped <br />on the mine plan area and the reference areas, as follows: aspen and oak <br />brush, 25 plots; mountain shrub vegetation, 30 plots. Fewer plots may <br />be clipped if statistical requirements are satisfied with less data. <br />To date, no grazing control has been undertaken at the mine. On our tour <br />of the mine on June lo, 1980, there were very few signs of gazing. Tlris <br />week I leave been reconnoitering the property and this is still the case. I <br />feel grazing has lead little impact on venetatior~ standing crop and therefore <br />will contribute little to variability of•clipping data. <br />I proposed an alternative method for considering comparisons between <br />reference and disturbance areas. This vaould utilize a regression technique <br />