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GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING AND REPORTING BOTANICAL INVENTORIES FOR FEDERALLY LISTED. PROPOSED AND CANDIDATE PLANTS (Septemhei 23, 19961) These guidelines describe protocols for conducting botanical inventories for federally listed. proposed and candidate plants, and describe minimum standards for reporting results. The Service will use, in part, the information outlined below in determining whether the project under consideration may affect any listed, proposed or candidate plants. and in determining the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects. Field inventories should be conducted in a manner that will locate listed, proposed, or candidate species (target species) that may be present. The entire project area requires a botanical inventory. except developed agricultural lands. The field investigator(s) should: I. Conduct inventories at the appropriate times of year when target species are present and identifi- able. Inventories will include all potential habitats. Multiple site visits during a field season may during theappropriate henolo icai stage of all target species. observationsg be necessary to make o gP '. If available_ use a regional or local reference population to obtain a visual image of the target species and associated habitat(s). If access to reference populations is not available, investigators should study specimens from local herbaria. �. List ever. species observed and compile a comprehensive list of vascular plants for the entire project site. Vascular plants need to be identified to a taxonomic level which allows rarity to be determined. 4. Report results of botanical field inventories that include: a. a description of the biological setting, including plant community, topography, soils, potential habitat of target species, and an evaluation of environmental conditions, such as timing or quantity of rainfall, which may influence the performance and expression of target species w' scale orientation, project boundaries, parcel size, and b. a map of project location showing p ) map quadrangle name C. survey dates and survey methodology(]'es) d. if a reference population is available, provide a written narrative describing the target species reference population(s) used, and date(s) when observations were made e. a comprehensive list of all vascular plants occurring on the project site for each habitat type f. current and historic land uses of the habitat(s) and degree of site alteration g. presence of target species off-site on adjacent parcels, if known I h. an assessment of the biological significance or ecological quality of the project site in a local �I