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2.4 Chokecherry-Snowberry Community The chokecherry-Snowberry community generally occurs • on the north slopes in snow accumulation areas or in moist drainage channels. Shrub cover in this community is very dense. The average cover is 87 percent, but ranges up to 120 percent. Although shrub dominance varies per site, chokecherry is generally dominant. Chokecherry has an average cover of 54 percent compared to 30 percent for snowberry. Serviceberry, big sagebrush, gooseberry, and rose are also present in the community, but have a limited cover and distribution. Chokecherry and snowberry exhibit an even, non-clumped distribution within the community. However, the density of each shrub occasionally varies with the community. The height of these two shrubs is similar, ranging from one to two meters. In some habitats choke- cherry grows to three meters high and the snowberry forms an understory one to two meters high. The herbaceous flora of this community is composed of 42 species: 33 forbs, 8 grasses, and 1 sedge. Total herbaceous cover is high. Average herbaceous cover is 56 percent, but ranges to 74 percent. Grasses are more abundant than forbs. Bluegrass alone, which has an average cover of 21 percent, represents 36 percent of the total herbaceous vegetation. Other significant grasses in this community include nodding brome, blue wild-rye and mountain • brome. Slender wheatgrass, an unidentified species of wheatgrass, bluegrass (Poa palustris) and needlegrass (Stipa occidentalisJ are additional grasses present in the community. Elk sedge occurs in some stands with a cover up to 28 percent. , Forb cover averages 20 percent. Dominant forbs include: yarrow; western tansy mustard; wild tarragon, Artemieia draeunculus; giant-hyssop; vetch, penny-cress, Thlaspi sp.; bedstraw; goosefoot; false forget-me-not; showy daisy; lupine; valerian, Valerians occidextaZis; thistle, Cirsium spp.; and butterweed, Senecio app. Litter cover is con- sistently high, always greater than 40 percent. Exposed soil cover in this community is occasionally as high as 40 percent. Moss and lichens are not present. 2.5 Serviceberry-Sagebrush Community The steep southeast and south slopes with shallow gravelly, clay loam soils (Delphill Series Complex) are dominated by a sparse community of Serviceberry and big sagebrush. Oak and an occasional shrub of mountain mahogany and bitterbrush are also present. Mountain mahogany and bitterbrush would probably dominate more . of the area if it were not for heavy browsing upon these species by mule deer and elk. -22-