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Woody Plant Density <br />• Woody plant density was determined through the use of belt transects 50 square meters <br />in area. Woody plant density transects were run beside the cover transects and <br />encompassed two meters on either side of the 12.5 meter long cover transect, or one <br />meter on either side of the 25.0 meter long cover transact. Additional woody plant <br />density transacts were located randomly as described above and were adjacent to <br />herbaceous production plots. Woody plant density data were collected and reported by <br />species. Suffrutescent and subshrubs were not counted in the woody plant density <br />transacts. <br />Species Composition <br />Species composition information was derived from vegetation cover data. Relative <br />cover information provided a basis for evaluation of the importance of each <br />encountered plant species and lifeform. <br />Sample Numbers/Sample Adequacy <br />Sample adequacy was calculated for vegetation cover, herbaceous production, and <br />woody plant density sampling. For the purposes of this baseline sampling, vegetation <br />cover, herbaceous production, and woody plant density sampling was undertaken to <br />• sample adequacy or a maximum of fifty (50) transacts or quadrats for each parameter <br />within each vegetation community. A minimum of fifteen samples per parameter per <br />vegetation community were taken. If sample adequacy was indicated by less than the <br />maximum number of transacts or quadrats, sampling was considered adequate for that <br />parameter. Parameters were tested at the 90% confidence level. Calculated minimum <br />sample number and standard deviation are reported as an indication of variability of the <br />sampled parameters. Comparisons between sample mean parameter values assume that <br />the sample mean value accurately represents the population mean in all cases. The <br />following formula was used for sample adequacy calculations: <br />(t)2 (s)2 <br />non = ------------ <br />(d Xbar)2 <br />where: n~ =minimum sample size <br />t =the Student's t distribution value at the 90% confidence level <br />s =sample standard deviation (s)2= sample variance <br />d =percent acceptable deviation from the mean (10%) <br />Xbar =sample mean <br /> <br />-7- <br />