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METHODS <br />SAMPLE DESIGN <br />A field reconnaissance was performed in May, 1979 to determine the boundaries of all <br />'~ affected areas, determine the number of different vegetation types which would require <br />sampling aril identify reference sites for each vegetation type. Nine primary and two <br />secondary vegetative types may occur in northwestern Colorado. The primary types are <br />grassland, sagebrush, mountain shrub, conifer, barren, pinyon-juniper, saltbruch, grease- <br />wood and cropland; the secondary types are aspen and river-bottom (Bureau of Land <br />Management, 1977 and 1978). Only three of these types occur on the study area: mourn <br />tain shrub (mixed brush), upland sagebrusch, and aspen. Aspen trees occurred as small <br />clumps within the mixed brush vegetation type. The understory within these aspen <br />clumps consisted of mixed brush similar to that of surrounding mixed brush areas. Thus, <br />for sampling purposes, aspen was combined with The mixed brush type for collection of <br />vegetative cover, production, frequency and shrub density data. (One small aspen stand, <br />less than 10 acres in size, in an area on the northeast permit boundary not to be disturbed <br />by mining activities, contains some Douglas fir trees but for sampling purposes included <br />within the aspen type.) Both disturbed areas (roadsides, powerline rights-of-way, drill <br />sites, etc.) and barren areas (devoid of vegetation) occur on the study area. Locations of <br />these sites are shown on the map entitled "Vegetation Type Distribution and Sample Site <br />Location" (Appendix A). Barren areas were not sampled becaused they are devoid of <br />vegetation. Disturbed sites are not natural plant communities, play no rote in establish- <br />ment of reclamation goals and thus, were not quantitatively sampled. Brief descriptions <br />of all types quantitatively sampled are presented below: <br />Mixed brush - Quercus ag mbeli (Gambel oak), Symphoricarpos oreophilus <br />(mountain snowberry), Amelanchier utahensis (Utah serviceberry), and <br />Prvnus virginiana (common chokecherry) dominated communities occurring <br />~~ throughout the majority of the affected area. This type generally develops <br />on soils which retain moisture through spring and early summer. <br />-3 Revised 5/27/81 <br />