> **APPENDIX C(a) - VEGETATION GUIDELINES**

The Nevada Northeastern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council (RAC), as
chartered by the Department of the Interior, has developed Guidelines
for Vegetation Management on about 16.2 million acres of public lands
administered by the Bureau of Land Management within the designated
geographic area of the Northeastern Great Basin within the State of
Nevada.

These Vegetation Management Guidelines are intended to serve as a
supplement to the Standards and Guidelines for Rangeland Health which
were adopted in 1997 and later expanded to include Wild Horse and Burro
Standards and Guidelines in 2000. These recommended Standards and
Guidelines reflect the stated goal of improving rangeland health in the
Northeastern Great Basin.

**[NON-INDIGENOUS ANNUAL GRASSLANDS]{.underline}**

**DEFINITIONS:**

**Cheatgrass/Annual Grass Monoculture:** Areas dominated by cheatgrass
or other non-indigenous annual grass species that have crossed a
threshold and lost the ability to recover naturally due to lack of
perennial species.

**Cheatgrass/Annual Grass Dominant:** Recently burned areas having
native perennial species present with potential for natural recovery
with appropriate management of non-indigenous annual grasses.

**Cheatgrass/Annual Grass Infested:** Shrub dominated communities with a
limited understory of native perennial species, but a significant amount
of annual grasses, exhibiting a high potential to be converted to
non-indigenous annual grass dominated ranges.

**Desired Conditions:** Communities will exhibit or be progressing
toward a healthy, productive, diverse population of native and or
desirable plant species, and functioning disturbance processes
appropriate to the site characteristics.

**Guidelines Common to All:**

1\) Encourage research and field trials in all non-indigenous annual
grass ranges to determine effectiveness of control on recovery and
rehabilitation efforts in perennial plant communities.

2\) Non-indigenous annual grass monoculture and dominated ranges must
follow a successional process from annual/perennial grass mix to a
shrub/grass community. Large scale seeding of shrubs should be
discouraged, and small scale (islands), of intensively managed shrub
seedings/transplants encouraged.

**Guidelines for Cheatgrass/Annual Monoculture:**

1\) Break up the monoculture through the use of chemical, biological,
and/or mechanical means to stop the spread of the effected area
especially in areas that border critical habitat. Use native and
non-native desirable species known to be fire tolerant and resistant
during the late summer fire season.

2\) Use the best available information to determine the most effective
processes to break up the monoculture, reduce the cheatgrass seed bank,
and restore native plant communities.

**Guidelines for Cheatgrass Dominant and Cheatgrass infested ranges:**

1\) Encourage innovative approaches to control cheatgrass***,*** such
as***,*** strategically controlled grazing and the use of prescribed
fire to favor production of perennial species.

2\) Seed areas with perennial grass species to reduce the dominance of
cheatgrass.

**Strategies:**

1\) Management practices to maintain healthy ecological sites should
include: prescribed fire, prescribed natural fire, mechanical
manipulations, specialized prescription herbivory, chemical treatments,
re-seeding, or combinations of treatments.

2\) Special emphasis must be placed on management activities where
public safety at wildland-urban interfaces is jeopardized.

**[SALT DESERT SHRUBLANDS]{.underline}**

**DEFINITION:** Plant communities dominated by members of the
Chenopodiaceae family including: shadscale, four-wing saltbush, black
and Bailey greasewoods, spiny hopsage, and white sage; with an
understory including ricegrass, squirreltail, saltgrass, and other
saline tolerant species.

**Desired Conditions:** Communities will exhibit or be progressing
toward a healthy, productive, diverse population of native and or
desirable plant species, and functioning disturbance processes
appropriate to the site characteristics.

**Guidelines:**

1\) Grazing should generally be limited to very early season or dormant
season rather than year round. If very early season grazing is permitted
or prescribed to control cheatgrass early in the spring, grazing should
be terminated early enough to allow perennial plant species to set seed.

2\) After disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, and periods of
less than desirable grazing management, consider resting communities for
an appropriate amount of time relative to moisture conditions.

3\) All management and revegetation strategies must consider current
site conditions and associated thresholds (i.e., current status in
state-and-transition model appropriate for the site). In addition,
factors such as ecological site, presence of undesirable species (e.g.,
invasive or noxious species), adjacent plant communities, current use or
management status, and position in the watershed must be considered
prior treatment application.

4\) Encourage research and field trials in salt desert shrub communities
to determine the best effective methods of restoration.

**Strategies:**

1\) Management practices to maintain healthy ecological sites should
include: prescribed fire, prescribed natural fire, mechanical
manipulations, specialized prescription herbivory, chemical treatments,
re-seeding, or combinations of treatments.

2\) Special emphasis must be placed on management activities where
public safety at wildland-urban interfaces is jeopardized.

**[SAGEBRUSH/BUNCHGRASS RANGELANDS]{.underline}**

**DEFINITIONS:** Plant communities dominated by one or more members of
the Artemisia genus including Wyoming big sagebrush, low sagebrush,
basin sagebrush, black sagebrush, Lahontan sagebrush, and mountain
sagebrush. Herbaceous understory is dominated by perennial grasses but
includes a component of annual and perennial forbs. Other shrubs may
also be present.

**Desired Conditions:** Communities will exhibit or be progressing
toward a healthy, productive, diverse population of native and or
desirable plant species, and functioning disturbance processes
appropriate to the site characteristics.

**Guidelines:**

1\) Create and maintain a diversity of sagebrush age and cover classes
on the landscape through the use of prescribed fire, prescribed natural
fire, mechanical, biological, and/or chemical means to provide a variety
of habitats and productivity conditions.

2\) Vegetation treatments should be of appropriate size to meet land
management objectives. Where possible, inclusions of intact sagebrush
should be left scattered within the treated area or in relatively close
proximity to provide a seed source for recruitment. Distribution of
residual plants will determine in part, the time period required for the
successional process to proceed toward sagebrush recolonization.

3\) All treatments must consider current site conditions and associated
thresholds (i.e., current status in state-and-transition model
appropriate for the site). In addition, factors such as ecological site,
presence of undesirable species (e.g., invasive or noxious species),
adjacent plant communities, current use or management status, and
position in the watershed must be considered prior to treatment
application.

4\) Where initial condition has a depleted herbaceous understory,
vegetation treatment should include seeding with desirable species
suited or adapted to site conditions. Seeding methods and dates should
be appropriate to the plant materials and site conditions.

5\) Where a mosaic of age and cover classes already exists, maintain
landscape diversity through fuels management and periodic disturbance.
Recognize the system is dynamic, and suitability of the plant community
for any given specie or group of species will change over time.
Maintenance of diverse habitat conditions will provide a continuous
suite of seasonal habitats over time.

6\) Where pinyon pine and/or juniper trees have encroached into
sagebrush communities, use best management practices to remove trees and
re-establish understory species.

**Strategies:**

1\) Management practices to maintain healthy ecological sites should
include: prescribed fire, prescribed natural fire, mechanical
manipulations, specialized prescription herbivory, chemical treatments,
re-seeding, or combinations of treatments.

2\) Special emphasis must be placed on management activities where
public safety at wildland-urban interfaces is jeopardized.

**[NOXIOUS WEEDS]{.underline}**

**DEFINITIONS:**

**Noxious weed monoculture:** Areas that have lost the ability to
recover naturally due to lack of native perennial species.

**Noxious weed dominant:** Areas having native perennial species present
with potential for natural recovery if noxious weeds are controlled.

**Noxious weed infested:** Plant communities with a limited understory
of perennial species and a high potential to be converted to noxious
weed dominant.

**Desired Conditions:** Communities will exhibit or be progressing
toward a healthy, productive, diverse population of native and or
desirable plant species, and functioning disturbance processes
appropriate to the site characteristics.

**Guidelines Common to All:**

1\) Encourage research and field trials in all noxious weed rangelands
to determine effectiveness of noxious weed control in the recovery
process of restoring perennial plant communities.

2\) Noxious weed monoculture and noxious weed dominant ranges must
follow a successional process from grass/grass mix to a shrub community.
Use best management practices to return site to best approximation of
site potential.

**Guidelines for Noxious Weed Monoculture:**

1\) Break up monoculture using an Integrated Weed Management approach
that combines chemical, biological, and/or mechanical means to reduce
spread of affected area, especially in areas that border critical
habitat or other sensitive sites. Treatment regime should be based on
ecology and phenology of the noxious species.

2\) Use best available information to determine the most effective
process to break up continuity and rehabilitate native plant
communities, recognizing that beneficial, introduced species may provide
excellent interim benefits.

**Guidelines for Noxious Weed Dominant and Infested Rangelands:**

1\) Encourage practices to eliminate new noxious species entry and limit
current infestations to existing levels.

2\) Utilize an Integrated Weed Management approach, that consists of
chemical, biological, and/or mechanical means to control noxious
species.

3\) Encourage innovative approaches to control noxious species, such as
strategically controlled grazing and use of prescribed and prescribed
natural fire to favor production of native perennial species.

4\) Seed areas with perennial species to reduce dominance of noxious
species.

**[PINYON-JUNIPER WOODLANDS]{.underline}**

**Definition:** Plant communities dominated by one or both species of
Utah juniper and/or single leaf pinyon pine. Pinyon pine generally
dominates at higher and juniper at lower elevations. Herbaceous
understory is dominated by perennial grasses but includes a component of
annual and perennial forbs. Shrubs may also be present. In the past,
woodlands were generally restricted to sites with very low fire
frequency such as rocky ridges and steep slopes with little soil
development.

**Desired Conditions:** Woodland communities will exhibit or be
progressing toward a healthy, productive, diverse population of native
and or desirable plant species, and functioning disturbance processes
appropriate to the site characteristics. Healthy, sustainable pinyon and
juniper woodlands will be maintained on appropriate soil types as
identified by Natural Resource Conservation Service soil surveys within
appropriate Major Land Resource Areas (MLRAs).

**Guidelines:**

1\) Woodlands will exhibit a combination of successional stages based on
differing pinyon and juniper species composition, age structure, and
understory composition appropriate to site characteristics on a
watershed, or portion of a watershed.

2\) Woodlands will be separated from other ecological sites by an
ecotone interface zone, rather than a well-defined edge. Woodlands
should not encroach outside of soil sites correlated with woodland
communities.

3\) Woodland stand structure should not, under normal conditions support
catastrophic, stand replacing fires. Community species composition and
proportionalities should follow Natural Resource Conservation guidelines
appropriate to the site.

4\) All management and revegetation strategies must consider current
site conditions and associated thresholds (i.e., current status in
state-and-transition model appropriate for the site). In addition,
factors such as ecological site, presence of undesirable species (e.g.,
invasive or noxious species), adjacent plant communities, current use or
management status, and position in the watershed must be considered
prior treatment application.

**Strategies:**

1\) Management practices to maintain healthy woodlands should include:
prescribed fire, prescribed natural fire, mechanical manipulations,
specialized prescription herbivory, chemical treatments, or combinations
of treatments.

2\) Special emphasis must be placed on management activities where
public safety at wildland-urban interfaces is jeopardized.

**[REHABILITATION AND REVEGETATION STRATEGIES]{.underline}**

Re-vegetation includes natural recovery as well as direct management
actions.

**General Guidelines for Rehabilitation and Revegetation:**

1\) On burned areas, allow natural regeneration when it is determined
that populations of native perennial grasses, forbs, and shrubs are
sufficient to re-vegetate the site.

2\) Where appropriate, rest rehabilitated and naturally regenerating
areas to allow recovery and establishment of perennial plant species
based upon objectives and ecological site potential.

3\) Determine to what extent re-vegetation success may be site specific
and may depend on soil moisture, rainfall, elevation, soil type, slope,
aspect, previous vegetative community (ie. native vegetation or
cheatgrass prior to a fire), type of seeding, aerial vs. drill seeding
etc., seed mixtures, and post seeding management.

4\) Use native plant species for rehabilitation except where native
species are not available in sufficient quantities; native plant species
cannot maintain or achieve the standard; or non-native plant species
provide for enhanced protection of native habitats or soil resources.

5\) To the extent possible, obtain seeds that are: 1) source identified;
or commercial varieties; and meet agency standards.

Note: In emergency situations and with agency approval, seeds may be
obtained with lower standards to meet rehabilitation requirements.

6\) Establish protocols for pre- and post rehabilitation/restoration
monitoring to assist in future evaluation methods. Assemble a team to
evaluate multi-district historical data on restoration/rehabilitation
projects.

**Strategies:**

1\) On burned areas greater than 1,000 acres, limit sagebrush seeding to
no more than 10-20% of the burned area, distributed over no less than 5
locations within the burned area.

2\) Enhance sagebrush and other shrub species germination and
establishment by utilizing available and appropriate water conservation
strategies (e.g., snow fence, surface imprinting, and mulching.

3\) On older, large burned areas where previous sagebrush establishment
efforts were unsuccessful, interseed sagebrush on areas where perennial
grasses have established. Limit seeding to no more than 20% of the area,
distributed over no less than 5 locations within the area.

4\) Rehabilitation of perennial, introduced grass seedings (e.g.,
crested wheatgrass) should include grazing treatments at appropriate
levels to reduce abundance and competition potential. Reductions can be
followed by interseeding with sagebrush as well as native grasses and
forbs. Encourage early season grazing and removal to promote seed
production and increase native species.

5\) Rehabilitation of decadent sagebrush communities should be promoted
by using appropriate tools to reduce sagebrush, followed by direct
seeding operations. Scale should be appropriate to management
objectives.

6\) Rehabilitation of pinyon-juniper encroached sagebrush communities
should be promoted using appropriate tools to reduce trees, followed by
direct seeding operations. Scale should be appropriate to management
objectives.

**[MINED-LAND REVEGETATION GUIDELINES FOR THE NEVADA DIVISION OF
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT AND THE U.S.D.A.
FOREST SERVICE]{.underline}**

**Reclaimed Desired Plant Communities for Mining Operation
Disturbances**

Reclamation goals for mining disturbances are 1) stabilize the site, and
2) establish a productive community based on the applicable land use
plan and designated post-mining land uses. To meet these goals, a
Reclaimed Desired Plant Community (RDPC) should be selected for use on
the disturbed mine sites. A RDPC is defined as: A perennial plant
community established on a disturbed site which [contributes
to]{.underline} stability through management and land treatment, and
which produces that type and amount of vegetation necessary to meet or
exceed both the land use and activity plan objective established for the
site.

Several RDPCs may be selected based on site-specific revegetation goals

and variable site characteristics for the mining disturbances. When
selecting RDPCs, major alterations in reconstructed soils and the
subsequent effect of this on the site\'s capability to establish and
sustain the desired vegetation must be considered. A RDPC must have a
reasonable chance for success when making the selection.

The plant community for the RDPC should be diverse, and when appropriate
for the site should include grasses, forbs, shrubs and/or trees. The
RDPC shall be comprised of species native to the area, or introduced
species where the need is documented for inclusion to achieve the
approved post-mining land use. The RDPC must meet the requirements of
applicable State and Federal seed, poisonous and noxious plants, and
introduced species laws or regulations. All RDPCs must be approved by
the agencies. Plants for RDPCs may be selected using one or more of the
following methods:

1\. Select existing vegetation types around the mine site to represent
the varied RDPCs.

2\. Use test plots, demonstration areas, or areas concurrently reclaimed
within the mine site or within similar representative areas from
adjacent mines to serve as the RDPCs as long as they meet the
reclamation goal.

3\. For areas where existing vegetative types adjacent to the mine area
are severely disturbed or where test plots or demonstration areas are
not reasonable alternatives, RDPCs may be selected using appropriate
ecological or range site descriptions or other technical sources.

**Guidelines for Successful Revegetation**

The revegetation release criteria for reclaimed mine sites will be to
achieve as close to 100 percent of the perennial plant cover of selected
comparison areas as possible. The comparison or reference areas will be
selected from representative plant communities adjacent to the mine
site, test plots or demonstration areas or, as appropriate,
representative ecological or range site descriptions. As approved by the
agencies, the selected plant communities or reference areas must have a
reasonable chance for success on the mine site. Each plan-of-operations
shall identify the site-specific release criteria in the reclamation
plan or permit. The agencies may also require specific release standards
for individual plant species or vegetative types (grasses, forbs,
shrubs, trees). Cover would be estimated using a method as described in
Sampling Vegetation Attributes, Interagency Technical Reference, 1996,
BLM/RS/ST-96/002+1730 or other acceptable technical methods.