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ground cover and 0.418 for production). Post-mining comparisons using these reference areas <br />should utilize comparison values that are the product of the measured future mean values <br />multiplied by these "adjustment" ratios as detailed in Section 6.0. <br />Charts E5-1 through E5-3 provide an overall "snapshot" of the baseline values of the three <br />primary vegetation variables (ground cover, composition, and production). Table E5-i (3rd set of <br />columns) provides a "snapshot" of the comparison between Old and New Juniper Woodland <br />Reference Areas. Total vegetation ground cover of the study area was determined to be 51.55% <br />for the Juniper Woodland community and 59.3% for the Mountain Shrub community. Annual <br />grass dominates the Juniper Woodland baseline areas, followed by shrubs and perennial forbs. <br />However, shrub cover dominates the Mountain Shrub baseline areas followed by annual grass <br />and then perennial forbs. Total herbaceous production values of the study area were 238.6 <br />pounds per acre for the Juniper Woodland community and 174.7 pounds per acre for the <br />Mountain Shrub type. As somewhat notable on Table E5-4, each vegetation community has been <br />designated by its physiognomically dominant woody plants. The Juniper Woodland type is <br />dominated by mountain snowberry and Utah Juniper. The Mountain Shrub community is <br />dominated by Gamble oak and mountain snowberry. <br />3.1 Juniper Woodland Community <br />This community type comprises 13.86 acres (42.9%) of the vegetation study area as <br />indicated on Map E5-1. As indicated on Table E5-5, a total of 46 plant species were documented <br />from this community type in the baseline study area compared to 35 taxa in the new reference <br />area and 29 taxa in the old reference area. No threatened or sensitive species were observed <br />within this area, while the noxious weeds jointed goatgrass, field bindweed, and Scotch thistle <br />were observed. Plates E5-1 through 6 provide photographic documentation of this community <br />(both study and reference areas), at the time of sampling. The juniper woodland community <br />exists on the drier more skeletal soils of the study area. These soils tend to be more rocky and <br />on less steep slopes than the Mountain shrub community. <br />3.1.1 Juniper Woodland Baseline Study Area <br />Review of Table E5-6 and Chart E5-1 indicates that the average vegetation cover of the <br />Juniper Woodland community was 51.55%. Bare ground exposure and rock provided an average <br />of 4.3% and 1.25% of the ground cover, respectively, while litter covered a significant 42.9%. <br />Dominant plant species were cheatgrass, mountain snowberry, and Gambel oak with 17.95%, <br />11.45%, and 3.85% of the ground cover, respectively. Perennial plants (excluding noxious <br />~~~~ cC~a~~c A~~®cIIA~s, INC. 7 Exhibit 5 -Vegetation Resources <br />