Laserfiche WebLink
shadscale with lesser amounts of greasewood, rubber rabbitbrush, and Gardner saltbush scattered <br />throughout the unit (Table 6b). <br />This unit passes a majority of the proposed revegetation success criteria with two exceptions (Table <br />1): the total herbaceous production was below 90% of the Shadscale Reference Area value of 558 <br />pounds per acre and the unit falls short of the woody plant density standard of 800 live stems per acre. <br />Qualitative analysis indicates that the South Fan - East revegetation is in good condition overall. The <br />growth medium in this unit consists of rocky material with some topsoil. Consequently, the cheatgrass <br />population is comparably lower than in the other reclaimed units where the growth medium is <br />predominately composed of topsoil. <br />3.16 South Fan - West Area <br />Ground cover of the South Fan - West area consisted of 32.5% live vegetation, 12.7% rock, 8.1% <br />litter, and bare ground exposure of 46.7% (Table 3b). Perennial cover across the unit averaged 28.8% <br />(up slightly from 28.0% in 2008) with annual and biennial cover averaging 3.7% (down from 7.8% in <br />2008). Dominant taxa were shadscale, Russian wildrye, cheatgrass, and galleta with 12.7%, 6.6%, <br />2.7% and 2.3% average cover, respectively. Current annual herbaceous production in the South Fan - <br />West totaled 234 pounds per acre, with the perennials contributing 226 pounds to forage production <br />(Table 5b). Woody plant density averaged 1,871 shrubs per acre comprised mostly of shadscale with <br />lesser amounts of Gardner saltbush, fourwing saltbush, greasewood, and cottonthorn (Tetradymia <br />spinosa) scattered throughout the unit (Table 6b). <br />This unit passes a majority of the proposed revegetation success criteria with two exceptions (Table <br />1): only one warm-season grass species was observed in the unit (proposed standard is 2); and the total <br />herbaceous production was below 90% of the Shadscale Reference Area value of 558 pounds per acre. <br />Qualitative analysis indicates that the South Fan - West revegetation is in good condition overall. This <br />area exhibits relatively low cheatgrass cover as compared to the other revegetated units. This is affected <br />by the quality of the growth media existing within the unit, which is mainly rocky material with some <br />incorporation of topsoil. <br />3.17 Substation B <br />Ground cover of the Substation B area consisted of 38.5% live vegetation, 9.4% rock, 12.0% litter, <br />and bare ground exposure of 40.1% (Table 3b). Perennial cover across the unit averaged 30.4% (up <br />from 25.3% in 2008) with annual and biennial cover averaging 8.1% (down from 25.1% in 2008). <br />Dominant taxa were forage kochia, cheatgrass, Russian wildrye, and fourwing saltbush with 10.8%, <br />8.0%, 4.8% and 3.4% average cover, respectively. Current annual herbaceous production in the <br />CEDAR CREEK ASSOCIATES, Inc. Page 25 Snowcap - Revegetation Evaluation - 2010