2009-01-12_REVISION - C1983058 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Pasture sage and Broom snakeweed compO'ow % of the relative cover. Forbs contributed only a very small percentage, 3relative cover. Weeds were not a problem or major contributor to the plant rbaceous production on the coal sales yard area was 171.4 pounds per acre. value is attributed tothe grazing and the extreme drought conditions in 2006. In 2006 the approved standard of 200 pounds of air dry herbage per year was not achieved. The lack of success is attributed to the extreme climate conditions and the recent grazing that had obviously occurred on site. Despite the low vegetative cover and low production, the site was stable and erosion was not a concern. 2007 Data 110('° 01 V C? Conditio 'ere considerably better in 2007 than in 2006 with spect to precipi tion d to grazing. Precipitation was higher for the mo s previous to sampl' g and grazing had not occurred on the reclaimed ar . Both of these impr eY fa ors resulted in much higher values for cover nd production on the reclai ortal area and at the coal sales yard. At the portal 4aea ve tative cover in 2007 w s 30.3°/ Grasses contributed 52.6% of the relative c r, bs were 33.7% relative er, forbs 5.9% of the relative cover and b-s bs 5.9% relative cover. The dominant grasses were two cool season spe es'w tern wheatgrass and smooth brome. Contributing warm season grasses were a grama grass, sideoats grama and red three awn. The overall dominant plant was the shrub Rubber rabbitbrush representing 33.2% of the relative cover. Broom snakeweed was the predominant sub-shrub. Forbs provided 7.7% o e relative cover with white horehound and field ' weed the most evalent. Although some weed Wiplant cluding field bindwe er prse t were minor contributors to the cover. Weed vie not c 1 ed a problem. Herbaceous production at the portal area was 867.5 po s per acre. Vegetative cover and production were very successful at the po area in 2007. The Twin Pines coal sales yard area ha 39.8% tal vegetative cover in 2007. This is nearly double the cover value from 20 recipitation was higher and cattle were not grazing prior to the vegetation sampling effort. This seems to have had a very positive impact on the cover from 2006 which was only 20.6%. The dominant single species was Rubber rabbitbrush which contributed 30.6% of the relative cover. Shrubs as a life form accounted for 32.3% of the relative cover. Grasses contributed 30.2% to the relative cover. Blue grama grass was the dominant grass contributing 12.8% of the relative cover. Other contributing grasses were western wheatgrass, red three awn and sand dropseed. Forbs contributed 10.3% of the relative cover and included: wh' orehound, storksbill and field bindweed. Broom snakeweed, the d 1.9% to the relative cover value. Noxious weeds were a only sub-s fb ntribute very minoonent of the total cover and did not present a problem. Production on the coayard was 949.3 pounds per acre. This is 778 pounds per acre more V 8