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<br />Management Situation by Revision Topic <br /> <br />Habitat Structural Stage Composition <br /> <br /> <br />figure 11I-5. Habitat Structural Stage Composition by Acres <br /> <br />The greatest quantity of forested acres on the RGNF resides as structural stage 5, old-growth forest <br />with 70-percent canopy closure. Structural stage 4B, mature trees with 41- to 70-percent canopy <br />closure follows close behind. This implies that the RGNF is largely mature and older forest. It is also <br />important to note the vast abundance of these structural stages are in the sprucelfir cover type, a <br />climax community in this part of Colorado. This climax community can be maintained with little <br />change over an indefinite period. Approximately 46 percent of the RGNF (1.8 million acres) is in the <br />mature and old forest categories. Approximately 73 percent of the total acres that have trees <br />growing on them are in these categories. <br /> <br />Plant Divt'Jl"6ity <br /> <br />Individual plant species have unique physiological and ecological amplitudes. The physiological <br />ilmplitude is the rilnge or tolerance a plant has for the environment without competition with other <br />plants. For instance, redwood trees are notfound on the RGNF because they are not physiologically <br />adapted to this area. The ecological amplitude is the same as the physiological amplitude except <br />plant competition is added. An example of ecological amplitude can be seen at the boundary <br />between a Douglas-fir forest and an engelmann spruce forest on a mountainside. Where the two <br />forests meet, both species are physiologically adapted to grow but competition eliminates or greatly <br />reduces one species. <br /> <br />\ <br /> <br />Competition between individual plants for space, nutrients, and moisture further defines <br />recognizable groups of plants called plant communities. Plant communities vary with soil, climate, <br />animals, and flora (the plant life of an area). A discussion of each function's role in influencing plant <br />community composition follows. <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />111-18 <br /> <br />0'.-2431 <br /> <br />~ <br />