2012-03-07_PERMIT FILE - C2010088 (14)

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EXHIBIT 5 is no recognizable pattern." He further states on page 27 that "the order in which plots are cultivated or harvested [sampled] would ordinarily be assumed negligible ... " Thus it is irrelevant, if the transects are sampled in ascending or descending order or any other order. This text further states (page 71) that one should "choose a startingpoint in a haphazard way without looking at the [random number] tables ... " This text spends several pages discussing the "drawbacks of systematic" sampling schemes and concludes by saying (page 81) that "subjective allocation of treatments to units [sample transect sampling sequence] should never be used, because the method has serious disadvantages and no compensating advantages when compared to objective randomization." Cox states (page 85) that "it is not that the systematic arrangement is necessarily less precise than the randomized one, but that the assessment of the results is on a less objective basis." Numerous other statistical texts contain similar cautions. Plant Cover. Plant cover was evaluated by randomly sampling ten previously identified intervals along the outstretched 50 -meter transect tape. At each designated sample point, an inclined metal ten -point frame, approximately one meter in height was positioned perpendicular to the tape. Each designated interval was sampled at ten - centimeter intervals along the ten -point frame by dropping a sharpened metal rod. Even random sample intervals were sampled on the right -hand side of the tape and odd numbers were sampled on the left-hand side of the tape. Each observation was recorded as to the specific plant species encountered as the sharpened rod was dropped. If no plant cover was encountered, then the observation was recorded as to the presence of plant litter, rock, bare ground, lichens or cryptograms. Plant material produced in the 2010 growing season which was still attached to the plant was considered as living plant material and the dead plant material which had fallen to the ground or which had obviously been dead for several years was considered to be litter. The 100 data points collected along each transect were then summarized into a single datum for purposes of statistical analysis. Absolute and relative plant cover, species diversity, and plant life forms were determined based upon the observations collected in sampling the plant cover. As discussed in the revegetation section found in the Unit Train Loadout Permit Application, the proposed plant cover revegetation success standard is based on an allowable cover standard, which means that all plant cover excluding annual and biennial plant and listed noxious weeds are sampled but are not counted toward the cover standard. For each vegetation type sampled, a minimum of 15 cover transects were used for sample adequacy calculations. Production. Along the transect alignment described for plant cover, three randomly located circular one - quarter square meter plots were clipped along each production transect. These plots were clipped by life forms for perennial grasses, perennial forbs, annual grasses and annual forbs as directed by the CDRMS. As required in Rule 4.15.11, shrubs, subshrubs and noxious weeds were not clipped, since they cannot count toward the proposed revegetation production success standard but annual grasses and forbs s were clipped. The production samples were taken along the same transect used for cover sampling. Along each production transect a total of three clip plots were sampled then averaged into a single transect datum for purposes of statistical analysis for each transect. For the Greasewood vegetation type sampled,