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• 2.04.10 VEGETATION INFORMATION <br />2.04.10 (1) Vegetation Map <br />The Vegetation Map, Appendix L-3, contains four mapping units: <br />1. Sandsage -Prairie sandreed Association (Valent Sand) <br />2. Sandsage -Prairie sandreed Association (Osgood Sand) <br />3. Saltgrass -Alkali sacaton Association <br />4. Prairie sandreed -Saltgrass Association <br />All of the Saltgrass-Alkali sacaton Association lies east of the Permit Area. Also, all of <br />the Prairie sandreed-Saltgrass Association, except a narrow finger of about eight acres <br />projecting into the northeast comer of Section 36, lies east of the Permit Area. <br />Consequently, we direct all further attention to the Sandsage-Prairie sandreed <br />Association, which occurs on both Valent Sand and Osgood Sand soil series in this area. <br />Valent Sand occurs primarily on the uplands and Osgood Sand primarily in the swales. <br />These two are mapped separately because the plant association appears to be a little more <br />productive on the Osgood Sand. Range condition is variable from very poor on <br />abandoned fields in Section 36 to good in a few small areas. <br />• The aspect is predominantly sandsage. Prairie sandreed is the most obvious perennial <br />grass. Western and thickspike wheatgrasses, blue grama, sand dropseed, needle-and- <br />thread, Indian ricegrass, sandhill muhly, and sand blue-stem are common associates. <br />Perennial fortis such as bractless stickleaf, textile onion, silver bladde~pod, ceramicpod <br />milkvetch, prairie spiderwort, showy peavine, snowball, plains larkspur, prickly poppy, <br />evening primrose and western ragweed are more or less common. The association is <br />extremely weedy. Slimleafgoosefoot, whitestem mentzelia, prairie sunflower and annual <br />buckwheat prevail over most of the area. In addition, cheatgrass is abundant in localized <br />areas of disturbance. A species list is provided in Table 2.04.10(1). <br />2.04.10 (2) Reference Areas <br />The Vegetation Map shows the location of two reference areas, one Valent Sand and on <br />Osgood Sand. Each reference area covers about five acres, about three of which has <br />been fenced. The map also shows the location of test plots. (See Appendix L-3) <br />2.04.10 (3) Adjacent Areas <br />Adjacent areas have been mapped. The most important of these is the Saltgrass-Alkali <br />sacaton meadow Association along the east side of the permit area. <br /> <br />78 <br />