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<br />~ <br /> <br />MOUNTAIN SHRUB - This community occupies a narrow altitudinal belt in the watershed <br />generally between 5800-8800 feet and occurs mostly on south and southeast facing slopes. The <br />community makes up 3 % of the watershed or approximately 5,526 acres. Annual precipitation <br />ranges from 9-20 inches depending on the aspect and elevation of the community. The mountain <br />shrub community has an aspect dominated by shrubs and is generally found on steeper slopes <br />at higher elevations or on the middle to upper transition zones between the pinyon-juniper, <br />douglas fIr communities. Some associations of this community may also be found at the highest <br />end of the watershed at 8000 plus feet of elevation. The primary shrub species making up this <br />community are; gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), utah snow berry (Symphoricarpos utahensis), <br />birchleafmountain mahogany (Cercocarpus mountanus), antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), <br />mexican cliffrose (Cowania mexican), and utah serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis). The most <br />dominant species may vary depending on the elevation, aspect and rainfall amounts and have an <br />understory of varying mixtures of shrubs and herbaceous plants. Some of the more important <br />perennial grasses are; western wheat grass (Agropyron smithii), blue grass (Poa spp.) blue bunch <br />wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum) and salina wildrye (Elymus salinas), <br /> <br />o <br />o <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />Ecological sites found in this community are: <br /> <br />Mountain loam (Oak) <br />Talus slope <br />Upland shallow loam <br />Upland very steep loam <br /> <br />Production on ecological sites in this community range from a high of approximately 700 <br />Ibs/acre in favorable years to as low as 100 lbs/acre during poor years, with an average <br />production of about 350 pounds per acre during nonnal years. <br /> <br />Potential vegetative manipulation projects or erosion control on most ecological sites within this <br />community would not be successful due to the steep slopes and difficult access to the sites. <br />Some of the sites with less than 20% slopes may have some potential for prescribed burning <br />followed by aerial reseeding. <br /> <br />DOUGLAS FIR - TIris community appears in the upper reaches of the watershed as a dense <br />coniferus forest type. It occurs mostly on steep slopes (50-80 %) on north and east or northeast <br />or southeast facing canyon side slopes between 6000-9000 feet. The community makes up 12 <br />% of the watershed or approximately 17,663 acres. Annual precipitation ranges from 12-24 <br />inches depending on the aspect and elevation of the community. The aspect dominant of most <br />associations of the community is the douglas fIr (pseudotsuga menziesii). At the lower <br />elevations towards the canyon floors the douglas fIr type may intenningle with the pinyon- <br />juniper and/or mountain shrub communities in a transition zone. At these lower elevations the <br />transition zone may exhibit an open stand of gambel oak, douglas fIr and pinyon pine. At the <br />upper end of the watershed (above 8000 feet) the <br /> <br />22 <br />