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County was identified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as <br />under extreme drought, the most extreme category. Conditions had not improved by <br />the time sampling occurred in June and abnormally high temperatures worsened the <br />conditions. On June 13, the first day the Division conducted sampling, temperatures <br />were over 100° Fahrenheit. The extreme drought conditions are evident in the <br />vegetative data. Total cover values from 2006 are at least 10% less than in 2007 and <br />production is excess of 700 pounds per acre less. <br />Results from all the revegetation sampling are summarized on Table 1. An asterisk <br />indicates that sample adequacy was achieved for that sample population. All species <br />recorded from the cover sampling are listed on Table 2 in Appendix A. <br />Table 1 - Summary of Vegetative Data <br /> 2006 2007 <br />Portal <br />Cover 20.2%* 30.2%* <br />Production 161.3lbs/acre 867.51bs/acre <br /> <br />Coal sales and <br />Cover 20.6% 40.6%* <br />Production 171.4 lbs/acre 949.3 lbs/ acre <br />*Sample adequacy achieved <br />2006 Data <br />Some recent evidence of cattle grazing was observed on the portal area and to a much <br />greater extent at the coal sales yard during the 2006 sampling effort. The grazing <br />influence had a negative effect on the vegetative cover and production values. <br />Total vegetative cover on the Twin Pines portal area was 20% in 2006. The <br />predominant life form was grasses with 51.6% relative cover followed by shrubs with <br />41.8% relative cover. The predominant grasses were western wheatgrass and smooth <br />brome. Rubber rabbitbrush was the most dominant species on the site, with 41% <br />relative cover. Snakeweed was the primary sub-shrub that appeared in the cover and <br />it represented on 5.5% of the relative cover. Few forbs were observed on the portal <br />area with only 0.5% relative cover comprised of Curlycup gumweed and vetch. <br />Noxious weeds or annual weeds were not a problem. No erosion problems were <br />noted. Herbaceous production in 2006 was 161.3 pounds per acre. This is a very low <br />number and is attributed to the drought and to grazing. <br />At the coal sales yard, total vegetative cover was 20.6%. The predominant lifeform <br />was grasses at 42.2% relative cover followed closely by shrubs with 39.1 % relative <br />cover. A combination of cool season western wheatgrass and warm season blue <br />7