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EXHIBIT J - Vegetation Information <br />1. Source(s) of information: USDA Soil Conservation Service, Soil Conservation District <br />2. Vegetative communities and conditions: As shown in table J-1. <br />This site is located within the Sedimentary Mid-Elevation Forests ecoregion, which is <br />characterized by forests, savannahs, and limited grass-, and shrublands. <br />Trihla 1-1 VPr7PtrifivP rnmmtinitiPS- <br />Community <br />jEcoloaical site) Vegetation layer and dominant species <br />Loamy Foothills This community includes the major portion of the site which has and will <br /> be mined. The soils that make up the Loamy Foothill Ecological site are, <br /> Colloide (25, 26), and Sharps (112). Landscape position is gently rolling <br /> terrain on mesas with slopes between 1 and 12%. These soils are very <br /> deep (>60 inches) loams to fine sandy loams that developed on loess <br /> overlying or shale. The elevation range for these sites is from <br /> 6000 to 7000 feet. <br /> Most of this ecological site has been significantly modified by human <br /> activities, both mining (area 87) and irrigation (26). This has both <br /> reduced potential vegetation diversity and increased certain plant <br /> populations, while increasing productivity. Vegetation in the irrigated <br /> areas (including those affected since 1994) is mostly Kentucky <br /> bluegrass and smooth brome (60% of vegetation), with other forbs (of <br /> numerous species) making up the remaining 40%). In non-irrigated <br /> areas, western wheatgrass was the most abundant perennial grass <br /> species. Dominant shrubs are rubber rabbitbrush and big sagebrush. <br /> Irrigated vegetative production was approximately 2,000 pounds per <br /> acre (air-dried vegetation) with 50% vegetative cover, which is the <br /> baseline for reclamation. However, a production level of 5,000 pounds <br /> per acre is possible with proper species selection and management. <br /> Potential vegetation composition (by weight), as described by the <br /> NRCS (ecological site description 284) is a continuum from grassland, to <br /> shrubland, to pinyon juniper woodland, depending on the fire history <br /> on the site. When the site has mature pinyon juniper it should have an <br /> understory dominated by muttongrass, a perennial, cool season, <br /> bunchgrass. With fire disturbance the site should have grasses mixed <br /> with shrubs such as black or big sagebrush. Grasses common to more <br /> open stages are muttongrass, western wheatgrass, junegrass, needle <br /> and thread and Indian ricegrass. Grasses would make up about 60% of <br /> the composition and shrub up to 15% in this situation. Due to irrigation <br /> and improvements, grasses generally make up 80% or more of the <br /> composition, and shrubs less than 5%, in many areas. <br />Exhibits for 1 12(c) AM-02 Application - M-1994-108 - 2010 - Page 52