Sage‐grouse (Centrocercus spp.) are arguably the best known of the many wildlife species that inhabit sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems. Lack of standardization in the procedures used to assess sagebrush cover may contribute to inconsistencies in reported habitat requirements for sage‐grouse and other wildlife. We compared 3 applications of the line‐intercept method for 3 sagebrush taxa. We sampled 2 mountain big sagebrush (A. tridentata vaseyana) sites, 2 Wyoming big sagebrush (A. t. wyomingensis) sites, and 1 black sagebrush (A. nova) site to determine whether the results generated by the 3 methods differed. Percent cover as determined by agency methods was up to 2.6 times greater than that from research applications. Cover differences among techniques were influenced by taxa and site (P ≤ 0.001) because both affected shrub morphology. We believe it will be difficult to identify and achieve wildlife habitat guidelines for minimal sagebrush cover requirements if methodologies are not standardized.
Constancy, percent canopy coverage and frequency of low-growing taxa for vegetation types as determined by examination of 20 2x5 decimeter plots on each of 4l sites 2 Habitat Types and Subtypes 9 3 Acreage of prominent habitat subtypes (BLM plant code) In the Ashland Coal Lease Area 19 4 Acreage of prominent habitat subtypes In the Upper Otter Creek Coal Lease Area 5 Acreage of prominent habitat subtypes In the Hanging Woman Coal Lease Area 6 Acreage of prominent habitat subtypes In the Decker Coal Lease Area 7 Acreage of prominent habitat subtypes In the
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