Geothermal Environmental Assessment Baseline Study: Vegetation and Soils of the Roosevelt Hot Springs Geothermal Resource Area

摘要

Identification and elemental concentrations of indigenous soil and plant systems found on the Roosevelt Hot Spring KGRA are described. Twenty-three different soils and five separate plant communities are geographically mapped and identified. One hundred forty-seven plant species were identified. Forbs, shrubs, and grasses are represented by 58, 53, and 36 species respectively. Three sites, each measuring 25 hectares, were selected for long-term vegetative assessment. At these locations a permanent enclosure measuring 24.4 meters x 24.4 meters was constructed to assess long-term effects of livestock grazing. Biomass, plant species, percentage composition, ground cover and livestock carrying capacities were determined at each site. Surface soils and Artemisia tridentata leaf tissue were collected for elemental analysis.