2008-05-28_REVISION - C1981019 (2)

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Colowyo and should provide both the structural diversity and life form diversity necessary for habitat requisites of young sage grouse. The seed mixture is capable of self-selection for each reclaimed micro-habitat encountered in the reclaimed areas and contains sufficient sagebrush seed to hopefully encourage at least some emergence each year and substantial emergence occasionally. There is potential, that too much sagebrush seed (115 seeds / ft2) has been incorporated into this mix, and given recent experience with new planting techniques designed for use at Colowyo in and after 2008, the amount of seed may need to be adjusted at some future point*. However, present knowledge within the industry dictates that a significant amount of sagebrush seed is necessary to consistently obtain desired emergence. Present knowledge also dictates that special care must be taken to plant sagebrush seed at precisely the correct depth (-1/16th of an inch) and at precisely the correct time of year (immediately prior to the first major snowfall event of the Fall). The greater the attention given to such details, the greater the potential for successful emergence. As with the reclamation seed mixture for grassland areas, the species and seeding rates indicated on this sagebrush steppe mix resulted from in-depth analyses of past mixes and the resulting emergence and dominance within revegetated areas. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the reduced competition from grasses, especially sod-formers like thickspike wheatgrass, will result in elevated diversity and better performance from certain poor producers such as big bluegrass, Rocky Mountain Fescue, Louisiana sagewort, bitterbrush, and Wood's rose. If performance of any of these taxa remains poor after additional attempts, they would be candidates for removal from the mix. Because the amount of grasses (and all sod-formers) has been substantially reduced for this sagebrush steppe mix, it is possible that on occasion, grass emergence may not be satisfactory for erosion control or life form diversity. In such circumstances a supplemental "inter- seeding" with the grassland mix may be necessary to "bolster" the grass and forb component of the community. This activity is allowed under Rule 4.15.7 (5)(g). Such an inter-seeding would only occur if adequate sagebrush or other shrub seedlings have emerged from the initial seeding, otherwise a "reseeding" or "augmented seeding" would be mandated. Furthermore, such an inter-seeding must occur within the first four years from the date of the initial seeding to avoid circumstances that would "reset the bond release clock". If "inter- seeding" is necessary on any units of land, CDRMS will be apprised in the Annual Reclamation Report. The high rate of seeds per square foot in the sagebrush steppe mix is simply a result of the small seed size for several taxa in the mixture (e.g., sagebrush at 2,500,000 seeds / pound). The individual species have been selected for their habitat forming characteristics for sage grouse during their brooding period. None of the individual seeding rates are excessive given the current state of knowledge, nor is the seeding rate per acre excessive for combination drill / broadcast seeding. However, this mix has not been designed to ensure quick erosion control for immediate stabilization of the topsoil and therefore, should not be used on slopes that exceed 10%. Furthermore, it may need to be planted intermittently (banding) with the grassland mix on long, low-gradient slopes. For additional information regarding this . By example, as of 2007 the CSU shrub test plots exhibited an average sagebrush population of 3,500 plants per acre. This population resulted from an initial 0.25 pounds PLS of seed in the mix, following an excellent recruitment year. 2.05-50 Revision Date: 3/14/08 Revision No.: TR-72