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<br />METHODS <br />The Allen Mine permit area was sampled to determine vegetation <br />cover, production and density. Three vegetation types were identified-- <br />Ponderosa pine-oak, Ponderosa pine-Douglas fir-oak, and Willow Carr. <br />Reference areas representative of each vegetation type were selected. <br />Each reference area had been fenced with an opening left for animals <br />to enter. Each reference area was of a different dimension (Figure 1). <br />The reference area (land to remain undisturbed) and affected area (land <br />to be mined in the future) were inventoried for the vegetation charac- <br />teristics noted above. <br />Sample points were randomly located in each reference area and '• <br />affected area. At each sample point, cover, production, and density <br />were estimated. <br />Cover was obtained within a 20 x 50 cm rectangular plot placed <br />inside a 0.5 mz production plot. Cover was estimated in two ways: <br />(1) by estimating the cover of each individual species within the <br />plot and (2) estimating total cover of all vegetation within the plot. <br />This total cover value negated the overlap of plants or plant parts <br />within the plot and is~a more accurate reflection of the actual per- <br />centage of around covered by vegetation. Cover by individual species <br />was obtained to identify dominant species. <br />Production was obtained by clipping vegetation of species and <br />species categories in a 0.5 mz plot. Clipped vegetation was placed in <br />bags and weighed in the field. Bags were oven-dried at 105°C for 24 • <br />hours and reweighed to obtain oven-dry production weights. <br />4 <br />