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• 1970's when mining activities moved into the southern Wadoe mining area of the Seneca II Mine. <br />This may underlie contrasts observed in the cover dote. Total vegetation cover in the reference <br />area was 88.0 ~, compared to 64.6 ~ to the etf~ted area. The distribution of cover by <br />lifeform showed some differences also. Cover by perennial graminoids in the reference area <br />substantially exceeds the corresponding values in the study area, while the apposite prevails for <br />shrub cover date. Perennial forb cover however, was very closely compareblefor the reference <br />and study areas. Perennial areminoid cover in the reference area totaled 46.6 ~ cover, <br />compared to 15.88, cover in the study area. The reference area graminoid cover was dominated <br />by sheep fescue (Festuca ovine, 16.3 ~ cover), Kentucky bluegrass (14.0 ~ cover ), end <br />slender wheaigrars (10.3 ~ cover). In the study area, by comparison, Y.eniucky bluegrass was <br />the only major contributor to graminoid cover in the study area; slender wheatgrass had only a <br />minorQQpresence and sheep fescue was rarely encountered. Reference area shrub cover totaled <br />L.J.4 N, mostly comprised of mountain snowberry (9.1 ~ cover), mountain big sagebrush <br />(Artemisia tridentate ssp. va . ana,6.6 ~ cover), and basin big sadebrush (Artemisia <br />tridentate ssp. tridentate, 4.6 ~ cover). Perennial forb cover in the reference area ,totaling <br />17.8 ~ cover, had five major components, one-flower helianthelle (6.0~ cover), Pa^ific aster <br />• (P,ster chilensis, 5.1 ~ cover), timber milkvetch (2.3 ~ cover), errowleaf balsamroot (1.1 <br />!€ cover), end American vetch (1.1 ~ cover). Reflecting the relatively indisiurbed nature of <br />the reference area, the annual end biennial forb cover was a nearly negligible 0.6 ~. <br />Herbaceous production totaled 153.8 gm / sq.m. (13701b /acre) in the Sagebrush reference <br />area, about 24 ~ greater then the study area total. This difference is modest considering the <br />much more extensive graminoid cover in the reference area. Again, in compering the reference <br />and study areas, it is interesting that Kentucky bluegrass had more percent tolier cover in the <br />reference area but had less production. Major contributors to the reference area areminoid <br />production of 96.5 gm / sq.m. were sheep fescue (46.4 gm / sq.m.), Yentucky bluegrass (28.3 <br />gm / sq.m.), entl Slender wheatgress (15.6 qm / sq.m.). Although the graminoid cover 1n the <br />reference area is quite extensive compared to the study area, the production data suggest that <br />interspecific competition between plants is severe enough to depress the productivity of <br />individual graminoid species. Perennial forb production in the Sagebrush reference area totaled <br />55.2 gm / sq.m. ;the dominant individual species in the date was one-flower helianthelle (25.1 <br />gm / sq.m.). Shrub density in the reference area averaged 67.6 stems / 50 Sq.m. (5472 stems <br />wire), most df which was mountain snowberry (23.3 stems / 50 sq.m.), basin big sagebrush <br />. (15.9 stems / 50 sq.m.), and mountain big sagebrush (14.6 stems / 50 sq.m.). <br />-23- <br />