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<br />LAND USE AND VEGETATIVE COVER <br /> <br />Cover conditions vary from dense virgin forest to nearly barren areas. <br />Total water production follows the same pattern and is generally related <br />to the same factors of elevation, exposure, and effective climate that <br />produce the variations in cover. <br /> <br />Management of the plant cover is of particular importance because of the <br />limited growth allowed by climate and precipitation. Sediment produc- <br />tion is directly related to the kind and amount of plant cover. Most of <br />the higher sediment producing areas are the more arid, poorly vegetated <br />soils. <br /> <br />The following is a general description of plClnt cover communities ClS <br />they exist throughout the basin. The categories of cropland, urban, <br />water and barren are included in this general description in lieu of <br />plant cover. The plant biotic communities used as categories in this <br />section are basically equivalent to ecological units or associations; <br />thus, these terms should be considered synonymous. <br /> <br />This section is concerned with vegetative cover which is quite distinct <br />from land use. For example, commercial timber production is a use of <br />some forest lands but certainly not of all. Grazing of cattle as a land <br />use occurs on both range and forested lands. <br /> <br />Plant cover is extremely significant to the planner in that it is an <br />excellent indicator of the use potential of the land. Alpine biotic <br />communities, due to their delicate balance, cannot absorb more than <br />minimal use. Their two primary uses to man are as watershed and as an <br />opportunity for a visually aesthetic experience. Contrasted with the <br />fragility of the alpine community is the stability of the forest asso- <br />ciation. Here, manipulation of the biotic community is more successful <br />as long as all ecological factors are taken into account. The major <br />present products of the forest are forage, recreation, water, wildlife <br />and wood. The range biotIc communities are, for the most part, stable. <br />However, areas of extremely low rainfall may exhibit retarded recuper- <br />ation following disturbance. The major function of rangeland vegetation <br />is for production of forage. This biotic community, however, addition- <br />ally serves as a vital protective cover against wind and wa~er erosion <br />and supports many game and non-game wild animals. <br /> <br />Symbol and/or color references are included in parenthesis for those <br />types shown on the Land Use and Vegetation Cover Map. (Plate 4.) <br /> <br />r;-. .....::.3 <br />'-' - <br /> <br />B-1 <br />