Appendix F3.5 Vegetation Resources Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement BLM June 2011 Contents Table F3.5-1 Wildfire Frequency and Succession Information for Vegetation Communities Common in the ROW Figure F3.5-1 Fire Regime Condition Classes in the Study Area Fire Regime Condition Class Attributes Weed Species Known to Occur Within the Study Area Table F3.5-2 Noxious Weed Species Documented in ROW Areas, Groundwater Development Areas and Associated Hydrologic Basins Risk Assessment for Noxious and Invasive Weeds: Clark, Lincoln and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project – Right of Way for Main Pipeline Table F3.5-3 Cactus and Yucca Species Inventoried Within the ROW Table F3.5-4 Special Status Plant Species Potentially Occurring Within the Project Area Culturally Significant Plants and Animals Lists • Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation • Ely Shoshone Culturally Sensitive Plants • The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Figure F3.5-2 No Action - Cumulative Projected Drawdown Greater Than 10’ Phreatophytes, Springs and Streams Figure F3.5-3 Proposed Action - Cumulative Projected Drawdown Greater Than 10’ Phreatophytes, Springs and Streams Figure F3.5-4 Alternative A - Cumulative Projected Drawdown Greater Than 10’ Phreatophytes, Springs and Streams Figure F3.5-5 Alternative B - Cumulative Projected Drawdown Greater Than 10’ Phreatophytes, Springs and Streams Figure F3.5-6 Alternative C - Cumulative Projected Drawdown Greater Than 10’ Phreatophytes, Springs and Streams Figure F3.5-7 Alternative D - Cumulative Projected Drawdown Greater Than 10’ Phreatophytes, Springs and Streams Figure F3.5-8 Alternative E - Cumulative Projected Drawdown Greater Than 10’ Phreatophytes, Springs and Streams Appendix F3.5, Vegetation Resources Appendix F3.5, Page F3.5-i Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement BLM June 2011 Table F3.5-1 Wildfire Frequency and Succession Information for Vegetation Communities Common in the ROW Appendix F3.5, Vegetation Resources Appendix F3.5, Page F3.5-1 Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement June 2011 BLM Table F3.5-1 Wildfire Frequency and Succession Information for Vegetation Communities Common in the ROW Vegetation Community Current Fuel Descriptions Historic Fire Return Interval Succession Timeframe Great Basin Invaded grasslands and Invasive and noxious weed species 2 to 10 years Two to three years for grasses; early successional perennial plants forblands frequently dominate. Annual invasive dominate after few decades. Common postfire species include grasses and forbs, such as red brome and Mediterranean grass, cheatgrass and red brome. cheatgrass increase the fine fuel load, and alter the fire regime (Brown and Minnich 1986) Pinyon-juniper Sparse understory grasses due to high tree 100 to 500 years; Understory fires 300 years. Twenty five years or so grasses and forbs dominate, than woodlands densities limit the fine fuel load, and burn more frequently. shrubs increase, leading to the dominance of trees species (Miller and continuity of fuels. Woody fuel loads are Heyerdahl 2008). widespread, and contain highly flammable resin and pitch Semi-desert Fuel loads vary depending on site 10 years Two to three years for grasses. Due to increased spread of invasive grasslands/shrub steppe conditions. Native grass distribution keeps species, common postfire species include cheatgrass and red brome. fuel loads low, except where invasive Native perennial grasses well adapted to fire, regenerate easily. Bunch annual grasses dominate. Increased grass species and needle grasses are vulnerable to fire. precipitation can increase fuel loads. For areas with a shrub component, long lived, non-sprouting shrubs such as blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima), big sagebrush, and Wyoming sagebrush may take centuries to recolonize areas (Abella and Newton 2009), while sprouting shrubs such as rabbitbrush may recolonize quickly. Sagebrush Shrubland/ Fuel loads vary substantially depending on Varies depending on shrub Areas dominated by black sagebrush, big sagebrush, Wyoming Steppe site condition and history. Increased community. Wyoming big sagebrush, and bunchgrasses will take longer to recover if at all. precipitation can increase fine fuel loads. sagebrush 90 to 140 years; Basin big sagebrush 12 to 25 years. Greasewood will frequently resprout, while shadscale saltbush, winterfat, and fourwing saltbush will are moderate sprouters and will occasionally resprout following fire (BLM 2005). Timeline: 50+years. Woodland and Fuel loads are variable, depending on site 100 to 500 years (Depends on age Dependent on fire intensity and spread. Shrubland conditions such as accumulations of down of stands, younger stands burn and dead woody fuels, and fuel continuity more frequently). of vertical and horizontal gradients. Appendix F3.5, Page F3.5-2 Appendix F3.5, Vegetation Resources Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement BLM June 2011 Table F3.5-1 Wildfire Frequency and Succession Information for Vegetation Communities Common in the ROW Vegetation Community Current Fuel Descriptions Historic Fire Return Interval Succession Timeframe Mixed Salt Desert Fuel loads generally are low. 1,000 years. Two to three years for grasses; followed by early successional perennial Scrub plants and sprouting shrub species. Long lived, non-sprouting shrubs may take decades to recolonize areas (Abella and Newton 2009), Species such as spiny hopsage (Grayia spinosa) might not return at all (Abella and Newton 2009). Winterfat mortality is dependent on fire intensity, from fires, recovery is slow even for survivors, taking 9+ years (Parmenter 2008). Shadscale, fourwing saltbush will are moderate sprouters and will occasionally resprout following fire. Timeline: 100­ 200+ years. Greasewood Flat Variable. Variable. Dependent on adjacent Greasewood will frequently resprout following fires. Timeline 10-50 communities. years Mojave Desert Mixed Desert Scrub, Fuel loads generally are low, especially in 1000 years (very variable due to Two to three years for grasses; early successional perennial plants and Mixed Salt Desert areas where blackbrush is present. soils that range from wet to dominate after few decades. Common postfire species include Scrub. Typically fuel loading is low due to extremely droughty, and variable cheatgrass and red brome. Blackbrush may take centuries to recolonize limited understory. High moisture years annual precipitation amounts). areas (Abella and Newton 2009). Timeline: 30-90+ years. can produce greater understory which increases the fuel load. Creosotebush-White Fuel loads were historically low, but have Unknown (Fires were typically Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) has heavy mortality from fires, and Bursage Desert Scrub increased with the spread of red brome infrequent, but with increases in does not appear to persist with increased fire frequency (Brown and into these areas. Red brome density is invasive species such as red brome, Minnich 1986, Lovich & Bainbridge 1999). Other desert shrubs may determined by precipitation amounts, with the fire interval has decreased recover, but native desert annuals may be lost due to increased high precipitation years increasing red dramatically.) colonization abilities of invasive annuals. (Brooks 2002). Annual seed brome densities. banks of bromus species can be reduced the first one to four years following the fire, while other annual invasive grass species can increase after fire (Brook 2002). Timeline: Grasses and forbs two to three years, shrubs 100 to + years, if at all (Cave and Patten 1984). Wetland/riparian areas Variable. Variable. Dependent on adjacent Greasewood, tamarisk, and willow will frequently resprout following communities. fires. Timeline 10-50 years Appendix F3.5, Vegetation Resources Appendix F3.5, Page F3.5-3 Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement June 2011 BLM Figure F3.5-1 Fire Regime Condition Classes in the Project Area Appendix F3.5, Page F3.5-4 Appendix F3.5, Vegetation Resources Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement ALT 93 93 Elko County White Pine County 278 178B 253 Tooele County 2 Callao 489 Juab County 185 Lander County 258 175 893 194 Juab County 892 93 Millard County Eureka 179 Austin 184 McGill Delta 50 486 195 257 174 Ely Opt. 1 Eureka County Eskdale 6 White Pine County 487 159 Nye County Baker Garrison 207 Opt. 2 894 318 15 Millard County 6 180 Beaver County 21 183 256 255 196 93 Opt. 3 Beaver County 201 Iron County Tonopah Nye County 172 202 Lincoln County 200 181 Pioche 375 208 171 199 198 Panaca Ga 203 C Goldfield 56 Caliente Iron County 318 204 120 Hiko Washington County 209 Opt. 4 182 317 93 Alamo Kane County 206 8 15 205 Nevada Utah Arizona Beatty 210 389 Lincoln County Mesquite Clark County 15 168 219 Indian Springs 95 218 220 217 216 Mohave ProjectCounty Components Pahrump 212 Las 215 Vegas Proposed Power Line Centerline Proposed Pipeline Centerline 515 Boulder 215 City Groundwater Development Area 93 Coconino Alternate Electrical County Californi Substation Site Inyo County 15 Alignment Option a SanBernardinoCounty Proposed Clark, Lincoln, and Natural Resources Region of Study Hydrographic Basins OR ID White Pine