Laserfiche WebLink
• 16.9 percent, and mountain snowberry contributed 12.6 percent. Also observed in the area were <br />the noxious weeds houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale) and bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare). <br />Total average vegetation cover for first hits was 81.7 percent. For herbaceous vegetation, total <br />average cover for first hits was 16.0 percent. Cover by standing dead, litter, bare soil and rock <br />averaged 2.2, 10.3, 5.7 and 0 percent, respectively. Average species density was 38.0 species <br />per 100sq. m. <br />Sagebrush/Snowber y Reference Area <br />(Photographs 36 through 40) <br />COVER <br />(Table 4) <br />Native shrubs were the predominant lifeform observed in the Sagebrush/Snowberry Reference <br />Area, contributing 28.0 percent toward total first-hit vegetation cover. Of this, mountain snowberry <br />(Symphoricarpos rotundifolius) contributed 14.9 percent and big sagebrush (Seriphidium <br />tridentatum) contributed 11.6 percent. Native perennial forbs and native perennial cool season <br />grasses made moderate contributions to cover, with 20.3 and 17.1 percent, respectively. <br />• <br />Total average vegetation cover for first hits was 69.0 percent. For herbaceous vegetation, total <br />average cover for first hits was 41.0 percent. Cover by standing dead, litter, bare soil and rock <br />averaged 3.7, 21.5, 5.8 and 0.1 percent respectively. Average species density was 32.6 species <br />per 100sq. m. <br />DISCUSSION <br />Climatic Conditions <br />The year preceding sampling in July 2009 included a dry fall and moderately winter of 2008. The <br />spring and early summer of 2009 was mostly average (Figures 5a and 5b). When compared to <br />other years in which monitoring has occurred back to 1987, the cumulative 12 months total <br />precipitation prior to sampling ranked 2009 near the lower middle of the 23 years of record for <br />April, with total precipitation amounts increasing significantly (to above average amounts) by July <br />(Figures 6a and 6b). Total precipitation for the previous six months was slightly above average <br />for the period of record back to 1987 for the month of July (Figure 7a and 7b). The cumulative <br />four month precipitation values back to 1987 (Figure 8b) show that 2009 was still slightly above <br />0 11