Conservation Assessments in Native Grasslands

The extent evaluated onsite must uphold the principles outlined within the Principles for Minimizing Surface Disturbance in Native Grassland (AEP 2016a) and provide opportunity for modification of the size and location of the disturbance within the review area. [...] Plant community may also refer to the plant community as classified and defined in the Range Plant Community Guides and Health, where plant communities are a further subdivision of ecological site phase and the lowest taxonomic unit in the classification system. [...] For the purpose of the SSA, the term plant community is used only at this general level to determine the native composition of the plant community, not to classify the specific plant community as defined in the Range Plant Community Guides and Health Assessment Guidelines (AESRD 2003-2013). [...] The range health assessment within the context of the Conservation Assessment is a tool to provide: 1. Documentation of a rationale or justification for the location of a site between two native grasslands of differing range health scores during the SSA. [...] If range health is determined to be a key factor in the rationale for siting, the documentation required for the vegetation in the SSA is sufficient to be utilized for the purpose of a range health assessment.