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11.0 Sampling Techniques and Design <br />11.1 Dryland Pasture <br />For Dryland Pasture areas, vegetation cover will be measured at reclaimed sites and the <br />reference area. Comparisons of the mean parameter values between the reclaimed areas <br />and the reference area will be used to determine revegetation success, as described <br />below. Vegetation cover will be measured as either canopy cover or basal cover of living <br />herbaceous and woody vegetation, as defined by CDRMS Regulation 4.15.8(3)(b). <br />Herbaceous production will be measured as current year above - ground biomass of <br />herbaceous vegetation, as defined by CDRMS Regulation 4.15.8(4). <br />Vegetation sampling for measuring reclamation success will be conducted to ensure a <br />repeatable and unbiased estimate of each vegetation population parameter. <br />Measurements made on the reference area will be done in the same manner and season <br />as measurements made on reclaimed lands, to ensure valid comparisons as specified in <br />DRMS Regulation 4.15.11(1). Measurements will be made at a time during the May <br />through September growing season. <br />Vegetation cover will be measured by a point intercept method that meets the provisions <br />of DRMS Regulation 4.15.11(1)(a)(i). The observational unit will be a series of points <br />along a transect at least 5 meters in length, and at least 50 data points at regular <br />intervals along the transect. A point sampling device supported by a rigid frame will be <br />used to ensure unbiased and vertical point placement. <br />Herbaceous production will be compared to the standard of 90 percent of 500 Ibs /acre <br />with 90 percent statistical confidence. Herbaceous production in the reclaimed area will <br />be measured by a quadrat sampling method that meets the provisions of DRMS <br />Regulation 4.15.11(1)(b)(i). The observational unit will be a rectangular or circular plot <br />frame at least 1 /4 square meter and large enough to encompass individual plants of the <br />larger species being sampled. Current year growth of herbaceous non -woody species will <br />be clipped within each quadrat. The sampled plant material will be bagged and taken to <br />the laboratory for drying and weighing. Samples will be oven -dried at 105 degrees C to <br />a constant weight. <br />Sampling points for cover and herbaceous production will be located by using a random <br />number generating procedure to create up to 50 random coordinate pairs within each <br />study area (reclaimed sites and the reference area). A geographic positioning system <br />(GPS) unit will be used to navigate to the sample points, in the order that the points were <br />randomly generated. A stake or quadrat frame will be thrown over the shoulder to <br />determine the exact sample location. Cover transects will be oriented along a random <br />compass bearing from the point of origin. If production sampling is done at the same <br />time as cover sampling, quadrats will be placed at the transect origin on the left side of <br />the transect. Cover will be calculated as percent total cover for each transect, and the <br />mean calculated for the study area. Production will be calculated by dividing dry weight <br />by the quadrat frame area in acres, and the mean dry weight pr acre calculated. <br />REVISED 11 Nov 09 Tab 22 -24 <br />